Enjoy your bachelor, because doing a master is hard work!
Melissa de Jonge
MSc. Management of Innovation, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Class of 2013
What was important in making up your mind?
I wanted to do a Master in business, to broaden my spectrum of skills after finishing IBCoM. Even though I liked the marketing side of IBCoM, I knew that simply studying Marketing Management would not allow me to “stand out from the crowd”. I also liked the mixture of several other masters of RSM into this one. Management of Innovation also gives you knowledge about entrepreneurship and strategic management.
What made you decide to choose for this master?
I actually applied for a similar master in innovation and entrepreneurship at Copenhagen Business School, and opted for this RSM master as my second choice. Unfortunately I was not accepted in Copenhagen and therefore decided to stay here in Rotterdam. And I’m loving it now!
How would you describe the connection between IBCoM and your master?
During the very first course I sometimes thought that a background in business administration would have been very useful and I felt like my knowledge was lacking, but soon enough I realised this was not a problem at all. I just had to catch up on some terminology, but nothing major. We actually have to write quite a lot of essays and the IBA people are amazed by the speed IBCoM students can write their essays.
How would you describe your master?
This master is perfect for people who do like business, but do not like to do math (basically half of the people that have picked IBCoM as their bachelor). We talk about the most effective ways to manage innovations in large corporations, but also in small start-ups. How do you motivate your employees to come up with creative innovations? How do you want to organise innovation within your business? Do you want to keep innovation between the walls of your office/factory, or do you want to organise hackathons and create an innovative ecosystem? The answers to these questions are very relevant to every single company, because as soon as you stop innovating you will fall behind and get wiped out by competitors. “You have to change to stay the same”, literally. Therefore, I think that for every manager it is extremely relevant to have a background in innovation management.
In hindsight, what would you have liked to know before, what you know now?
Enjoy your bachelor, because doing a master is hard work! We go through everything about three times as fast as you do in your bachelor. Nonetheless, I do feel challenged in a positive way.