Hello readers,

Before the astrological summer ends, the time of studying or back to work – or both – has started again. New challenges ahead and a new full 10-month journey of duties in study and the challenges in your life to keep things rolling. Oke maybe I sound a bit cryptographic right now, maybe duties isn’t the best word or at least it is not the only important word in this yearly 10-month life journey. You feel you have a duty because you have goals you want to reach, achieve and want to try. Challenge accepted!

The start of the month

September started for me as usual. The first lessons of the study year of a new challenge part in study. The minor Crossmedia Journalism. What has that to do with you as a software engineering student? 

Desire for Crosstech Communicating

You might think. Well, I love to talk, I love to write, I love to inspire people and I love to explain digital stuff. Digital stuff is a broad term but so are my interests. Explaining software or how to use it more efficient. Explaining social media, the know-how behind it, the effects, the different way of using for different purposes. But also closing the gap between the developer and the other creative with a digital product idea. Or between the developer and the end-user. Closing the gap by being the bridge where it’s needed for more happiness between all the people involved and more efficiency in how you spent the time of your life (of which most is work). How shall I call this then…?

Maybe I just have a desire for crosstech communicating <- I just brought that up, no idea if the term exists and otherwise it exists now. With the goal of making lives piece by piece more efficient, healthy with enough amount of rest and happier and thriving because of the efficiency without losing the main focus on quality. Good quality takes time, good performing takes enough peaceful mind and rest too.

Follow up start of the month

The minor started with a nice introduction of theory and challenging thoughts about (digital) communication nowadays and some good examples of magazines, newspapers and crossmedia concepting brands. Very inspiring! A month in my life is rarely without visiting an inspiring talk about life, business, how to’s or just do something!

#Girlboss talk Ellen Hoog

This month I went to the #Girlboss talk from the hockey legend Ellen Hoog. Such an inspiring woman and so nice to have met her in real life! Her books with recipes about good food and exercises to live a sportive active life are one of my favorites and good-accessible to bake e.g. Healthy waffles and do some core exercises or make some energizing smoothies. And her way of doing business, her mentality of just doing and trying and figuring it out but never quit or step back because of fears. No her mentality lesson – which you also need in topsport – is: challenge accepted = challenge completed and hopefully with a winning mood and result!

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Halfway the month I stumbled into a new nice challenge of which I had doubts if I had enough time besides studying to make the full commitment. After a couple of days, a meeting with encouraging and inspiring moments and a bit of luck or coincidence, I accepted the challenge: writing for a magazine!

My mind was jumping my heart was bouncing and I just sat still in the meeting with a look of being flabbergasted! Time for ideas, time for connecting the team to work as a team together and time to seriously face reality too: the printing deadline was already in four weeks! F o u r weeks! A new magazine, no format nor brand nor style nor example of previous editions yet. Just from scratch!

So this process started at the end of September and a few challenges for October were already set in the calendar. In my Life as an IT student | October blog edition will this story continue. For now this is a challenge in progress! And what a unique and amazing one!

Did you encounter a challenge in the month of September?

Greetings by Sophie