Stories that inspire!

As a first-time expat I travelled to India to start my new life as a Technical Liaison in Chennai. I had two years of experience as a mechanical engineer in COWI and I ended up staying in India for almost two years. I have gained much more experience working in Chennai than I would have staying in Denmark, both on a personal and a professional level. The work tasks resemble what I would call being a “mini-project manager”. You make sure projects are delivered in high quality and on time while making sure all the COWI procedures are kept. You help your Indian colleagues understand the Danish/Norwegian way-of-doing things while you gain knowledge about their incredible culture as well.

On a personal note, I made sure to travel as much as possible while I was there. I went on exciting trips to Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Maldives and so much more. Chennai being a central station in Asia, it is both easy, fast and inexpensive to travel. I am now back in Denmark  ready for more adventure.

I feel like my stay in Chennai the last two years has given me so many positive experiences. As a TL you get to develop your technical knowledge by working with very competent people in India, Norway, and Denmark all at the same time. Working with different cultures and having responsibilities for progress on projects has also ensured that I have developed my skills in communication and more project management related tasks.

I have also gained a lot of insight in how people work in different parts of COWI, and I had the opportunity to influence the development of how we want to work in the future. Outside of work you get the chance to experience a new culture, try new food, meet new people, and see new places. I have spent a lot of my free time travelling around India, seeing everything from the big cities to the small villages where people live a life completely different from what I used to. I have had so many cool experiences I could only get living in the country, getting to know the locals.

I graduated from DTU as a structural engineer with a field of specialty in project management and Building Information Modelling (BIM). I got the opportunity to kick-start my career by using my competencies to the fullest while challenging myself professionally as the technical liaison and coordinator between Danish construction projects and India. The assignment was a significant opportunity to develop myself personally, as I learned to work effectively with colleagues with a very different cultural background than my own.

India was a great learning experience on many levels, both professionally and personally. While stationed in Chennai I bought a motorcycle in order to get closer to the Indian way of living. The people of Chennai were amongst the friendliest and most welcoming people I have ever met, and there was also so much to see and experience in and around India. One weekend you are sitting on a beach in Bali, the next you are walking down the streets of Singapore. The possibilities are endless. In summary I can say that India is definitely the place to be, to grow and develop professionally as well as personally.