M.Sc. Chemical Engineering, Sustainable Energy Systems
Chalmers University of Technology

Ola,

My name is Merim Sakic, born 1997, and come from a small town called Karlskoga which resides in the warm and sunny Värmland not far from Örebro. My interest in technology started when I was very young as I was heavily influenced by Sci-Fi series, but I also liked to play around and assemble/disassemble electronic equipment. An alternative interest I developed was biking, I just love to take my bike and go out and explore the nearest environment around me.

When I was to apply for high school, I picked a technical profile with focus on programing and natural sciences in Örebro. During high school I got the chance to engage in social activities arranged for elementary students which I thought was very fun, I even got the chance to be in the chemical lab and perform experiments during “open houses” to show students how fun chemistry is. My three years at high school came to an end and when it was time to apply for university, I chose Chemical Engineering at Chalmers.

I packed my bags and headed for Gothenburg, and all of the sudden I was standing at Götaplatsen for my first day at university. The time I spent at Uni. came to be the best years of my life where I got to learn all new things, make friendships for life and I got the chance to engage in union activities, which was a lot of fun. During my first three years (bachelor) I developed an interest in thermodynamics which came to be the basis for me choosing a thermo-master at Chalmers called Sustainable Energy Systems. During my masters I studied more advanced courses touching on the subjects of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics and with a background in Chemical Engineering I found myself well equipped for the coming challenges. I’ve always liked to perform calculations which influenced me in picking courses such as CFD (single-/multiphase). I also have an interest in nuclear which made me choose such a course and presented me the opportunity to perform experiments with radioactive materials (fun but also nerve-wrecking).

All of the sudden, 4.5 years had vanished and it was time for me to start my master thesis. I got a tip about a master thesis at GKN via a professor at Chalmers which I took. I investigated, together with a comrade, a new conceptual airplane engine which was a lot of fun. We also had a lot of degrees of freedom which gave us the opportunity to be creative and think outside the box and work across several fields. I had previously heard about GKN prior to my thesis, but throughout the thesis my interest for the company and the sector grew and when I realized that GKN had a trainee program, I had to apply. For me, the structure of the program suits me perfectly as you get the chance to try out several areas in order to find what suits you best, but you also get the chance to tie new contacts. I applied and got accepted.

My top tips for anyone reading this is to embrace all of the opportunities that are presented to you, life is made up out of coincidences, and you don’t want to miss anything. Being open and curious are two simple but very important factors which will open many doors! I also know how easy it is to get stuck in front of something “unproductive”, but if you really want to achieve a goal or want something in life, never give less than your 100 % to reach it, and never forget that nothing is impossible! I am going to quote one of my old teachers here – “Everything works out in the end, but it will work out faster if you deal with it”.