Koen Hokke, Master student in Biology
While being intrigued by al discovery’s in the field of Molecular Biology, my first experience with an internship made me quit unhappy. I failed miserably in all my experiments, hated the repetitive work that is part of being in the lab and had problems with staying motivated in a world that is very solitary. I wanted to do something where I could create value with my social skills, and was looking for a way to transition from science to business. Science Based Business gave me the opportunity to make this transition.
I always say that I started the study Biology to become the new Steve Irwin, but that I had to change career goals when I found that Freek Vonk beat me in this race. Of course this is meant as a joke, but there is still a part of the truth in it. I started biology because I was interested in animals, ecosystems and behavior. I quickly realized that I enjoyed molecular biology more, and am still interested in all the possibilities that synthetic Biology offer. However, I felt miserable during my internship and never wanted to do any research again!
During my bachelor I participated in the 24 hours business games organized by the living lab in the Hague. I really enjoyed this challenge, and realized that I liked doing more with business. The coursing were challenging, but interesting. I liked the case based teaching method, and feel like I gained some valuable insights in business.
This track is an absolute recommendation for any science student with interest in business, whether you have ambitions for a corporate career or not. It really played a big part in my shift towards the business world. The courses where of great value while applying for a management traineeship at KPN, which I will start with direct after my graduation.
By Koen Hokke, participant of SBB Fundamentals Spring 2016 and SBB internship 2016