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‘Energy sector fascinates me’, says MU graduate working in Berlin

While studying international relations in the Netherlands, German graduate Juri Schwartz became interested in the energy sector. But there are only a few universities specialising in this topic in Europe. So, he moved to Brno to pursue the unique Master's degree programme.

Before starting his studies at Masaryk University, he had a six-month work placement at EnBW, one of the largest German energy companies, in Berlin. Thanks to this, he gained much new experience and a better overview of the German energy market, which was useful for his master's thesis on decarbonisation and carbon contracts in Germany.

Working on his diploma thesis and other study obligations gave him a lot of work, but he fondly remembers his two years of studying Energy Policy Studies at MU. “It was a great two years, and I am very glad I applied for the study programme. I learned a lot of new things and expanded my knowledge in the field I am now working in. I was also very impressed with the teachers, who were real experts. Plus, you could see that the whole study field was their baby, and they were always trying to improve it, which was reflected in the programme's overall quality,” Juri states.

He also appreciates the diverse backgrounds of his classmates. Although the curriculum was relatively small, and there were about twenty students in the class, each had a different undergraduate major. While most had degrees in social and political sciences, there were also engineers among his classmates, which made group discussions and projects even more exciting and allowed Juri to benefit from the experience of others.

Among people interested in the same field

Juri finished his studies in June and in September, moved to Berlin, where he joined a small consulting firm, Energy Brainpool GmbH & Co. KG, which specialises in energy market consulting. The roughly 30-member Berlin company was on his list of companies he wanted to work for after his studies, so he was delighted that they were looking for someone and that he could start working as a market analyst.

“I am very happy with my choice. I am working on interesting projects, doing various analyses and predictions of energy prices, educating myself at company training and conferences abroad, and working with various clients from different parts of Germany, which is a very varied job. In addition, I have people around me who are as passionate about the energy sector as I am, so I am among my people,” says the Faculty of Social Studies graduate at Masaryk University with a laugh.

He enjoys his work in the energy sector and sees it as very meaningful, especially in the current energy crisis, which has only underlined how crucial energy is for the functioning of the state. “Our industry is changing a lot, and I have become even more aware of how important our industry is over the last two years. For me, the energy industry is such a backbone to the functioning of the economy and the state. And I'm excited to be involved in various projects that seek, for example, to transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources or to use hydrogen as an energy source. I'm happy to be part of the process of turning plans for a better future into reality. It's very interesting work,” the alumni says.