How can a university value a student applicant for a Master?

An interesting story comes from where I did my Master studies…Sweden. As it is mentioned in the article, the number of applicants have riced more than 150% from last year and as a result most applicants are dropped. So, it makes you curious which are the qualifying criteria to enter to a University…??

Who said Swedish are unfashionable…??

Sweden is often misunderstood. Namely the common perception – well, outside of Scandinavia, anyway – that Swedish design is boring. Ask any foreigner to name an iconic local brand, and the likes of Ikea and Volvo will invariably come to mind…. But Swedish fashion is in vogue. And it extends far beyond northern Europe and H&M’s ever-growing worldwide domination. [via]

Swedish fashion

[via]

Business Common Sense and Logic in Greece

It is amazing how different I feel, understand and conceptualize my surrounding after 2 years in Sweden. I thought the common sense of people in my field of interest, will be the same here in Greece as in Sweden, since the sciences and the technologies are the same and the education provided comes from the same books. But in my great sorrow, I see that Greeks think and act in there own and unique way.

Today, I read an article about new Swedish entrepreneurs in the IT industry. It is remarkable of how easy and straight forward is for Swedish people to become entrepreneurs. All they have to do is to innovate and create!! How else can someone create a business, if he doesn’t think of a NEW “Service” or “Product” (and creating it) that can fill gaps in the market targeted (INNOVATION) in order to become needed and earn the desired profit!! But, no… this does not happen in Greece… Greeks are taught that the best business is to make money by copying ideas that already exist in the market which brings a lot of money to the starters ( with out giving something new) and all that in a short period of time! Plus, trying to lie and steel in order to earn even more money!

“I am trying to think when was the last time i heard or saw an innovative product from Greece. Or a company based in an innovation… And if there was, where was the Greek Government helping it establish and grow?” I know and I am totally sure that a lot of my fellow Greeks are very intelligent and very creative in order to innovate and establish businesses out of brilliant ideas! But as I previously said… we are taught to thing of the short term profit and not the long term as well as not taking risks… (only taking loans in order to buy an expensive car, in order to make out with beautiful women).

The funniest thing I could ever hear was said to me yesterday in an interview with a recruiting company, here in Greece. The HR consultant, asked me what kind of position I would like to have. Therefore I answered, “I know that I am capable to work as an Electronics Engineer, Network and Computer engineer, System administrator… but I look forward in working in positions like Technical Analyst and IT project Manager”.Her responce was “You are extremely ambitious… !!” and she left me wondering whether I said something wrong … So I tried to explain her that, I am indeed an ambitious person, since I want the best for myself and that was the reason I studied so much! So she said… in Greece you don’t need to be ambitious, you only have to work as an entry level for at least 2 to 4 years being patient until you get permanent. Then you can choose your future…

With this type of logic, how a person, who doesn’t have to be ambitious, learn from the industry and make a carrier? how a person will evolve in his domain and eventually step up and start a company with out being ambitious? Is this why the dream of an educated Greek citizen is to become a public servant? Where is the ambition? where is the spirit of innovation-creation? The enjoyment of starting a business?

…or maybe I am too ambitious?

“Facebook Me…!!”

I recently read an article published in “The Local” (Sweden’s news in English), emphasizing the dangers of the most known and world wide used social network, Facebook. I additionally read the opinion of my friend BigC expressing his disapproval and his skepticism on using such services. I would partially agree with my friend, but personally I am a person that has an user account and a fully detailed profile in Facebook. I would additionally say that I enjoy the services of Facebook and tend to update it, at least once a week! In my point of view, I see Facebook as a way to exchange your interest with your friends (close ones, internet ones, abroad ones…and the list can go on) hobbies and communicate in an two way direction, without needing to be on-line neither an e-mail client. However, I would agree that the agreements agreed by the users with the services provider, in giving them full access to their personal content is wrong, since no one ever reads these licenses nor knows what these licenses include!!

…But Microsoft should know something more than us!!

Earth TV

I am a person that loves to travel … The past one month I feel trapped in my hometown Piraeus, Greece. Most of the time I think of my life in Stockholm, Sweden and I get more and more depressed… it was amazing… But today I found my medicine! While I was watching Greek TV I saw the most amazing thing… a Greek channel called SKAI showed live videos from some places around the world! It was incredible to see live, places that I have visited! These videos are from a channel called Earth TV and its purpose is to take us in a breath-taking daily tour around the world…!!

It really worths to watch it! I especially dedicate it to the people that feel trapped and want to escape from their routine life!

Swedex

It is really nice to see that some countries of European Union (EU) are trying to expand the bounties of their country and let their language and culture be spreed around! Once again Sweden surprised me! Trying to find if there is a way to certify my Swedish language skills, I just came across SWEDEX. SWEDEX examinations provide the opportunity to people who learn Swedish as a foreign language to prove their competence in it and get Certified for that. The certification is an A2 and B1 (which is equal to lower in English) scale of level of the CEF. These examinations can be taken in all the EU countries, with their time schedule. Additionally, SWEDEX is a project that was coordinated by the International Certificate Conference, ICC. Partners in the project were Folkuniversitetet and the Swedish Institute in Sweden, the University of Lodz in Poland and “die Volkshochschul-Landesverbände” in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Niedersachsen in Germany.