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Mila NACHEVA comes from Sofia, Bulgaria. She discovered the newly launched Bachelor in Management and Tech Design, which perfectly matched her expectations. After a few months at the School as a student of the Bachelor’s first cohort, Mila tells us how she first heard about IÉSEG, her early days on the Lille campus, her discovery of Rubika and how she sees her future.

Mila NACHEVA, how did you find out about IÉSEG and the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design?

M.N: I first heard about IÉSEG when my best friend, who had applied for the Bachelor In International Business, told me about the School. I found it very interesting and when I visited the website, I discovered that IÉSEG offered not one, but two bachelor’s programs. Most importantly, there was a bachelor combining both management and tech.

In Bulgaria, I had been studying coding and computer science. This was something that really interested me, and I wanted to specialize in this field. I was looking for a bachelor’s degree that would give me all the required competences to succeed in my career, but I didn’t want to only become a web developer: I already felt that I would also need management skills.

Why did you apply to the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design?

M.N: I didn’t expect to find a program that would propose both management and tech courses, and I was really surprised to come across this one… The more I read about IÉSEG, the more I started to like the School and the more I could picture myself living in Lille.

I had already decided to leave Bulgaria and study in another country to discover a new culture, a new way of life, a new way of learning, and meet new people. Indeed, even if we have some great universities there, we don’t have top-level schools in management, business, tech or computer science as well known as the French ones. At that time, I was interested in game design to start a career as a videogame developer, and I had already identified Rubika as a possible option. So, when I saw I could combine the two dimensions I was really looking for (Management and Tech), at two top-level Schools (IÉSEG and Rubika), it was far more than what I could have ever dreamed of…

Finally, even if I had learned French at school, I didn’t have the level to study in French… so, I couldn’t believe that I would be able to live in France, a country that attracts me for its culture and history, while studying in English, a language I master.

For all these reasons, the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design was the perfect match for me and ticked all the boxes. Even if I was also accepted to other bachelors (in the Netherlands and in other countries), I chose this Bachelor and I moved to France.

What were your impressions of your first days at IÉSEG?

M.N: I will always remember my first days at IÉSEG: everything seemed so huge, so different from home! The Lille campus with its three brand-new buildings is really cool. The atmosphere is so different, people are so nice and come from all over the world—I immediately felt at ease here!

I never thought I would be in such an international cohort, it was only when I entered the classroom and started discussing with all my classmates that I discovered we were coming from three different continents (Europe, Africa and Asia).

Last week, we went to Valenciennes to visit the Rubika campus. Everything is done to make you feel at comfortable and put you in the best conditions to learn, which is both impressive and enjoyable. I was very happy to see some of my friends who study at Rubika and chat with them for a few minutes.

Everything started with an icebreaker event… Did you expect such a start?

M.N: The first day was so unexpected—I never thought the program would start that way… At the same time, as it was my first in France, I didn’t really know what to expect. I would say I expected everything but that seminar! And at the same time, it was brilliant. There were 11 of us in this classroom, everybody coming from different countries (there was just another Bulgarian student I had never met before). Even though we are open-minded and eager to discover new things, it was difficult to start talking to each other. So, starting the year—the three-year program! —with this two-day icebreaker event was just amazing!

Bohdan PAWLYSZYN simply is like any professor should be: passionate, patient, respectful, cheerful and engaging. He managed to break the ice between us all and create a first level of comradeship.

The exercise I loved the most was the one where you sit opposite to another student and look into their eyes, silently, during a couple of minutes. It creates strong connections—so much passes from one to another without saying a word! We did many other exercises, and it was a perfect start to get to know each other better, understand our differences and develop trust and team spirit.

After a few months, what have you already studied?

M.N: We’ve already studied a lot of different subjects: Statistics, Tech History, Financial Accounting, Marketing Management, Tech Design, Design Thinking, and I’m sure I can’t think of them all! What is impressive is that the curriculum is designed in such a way that all this teaching makes sense. Professors, both from IÉSEG and Rubika, manage to create interconnections between all those courses, making it easier to understand and learn. I’m amazed, even if I was looking for this interdisciplinary teaching, and I really appreciate it.

We have a lot of group work. In my group, I have students from many different nationalities, but we managed to find the best way to work and succeed all together. And we also spend a lot of time learning from each other, as we all have different backgrounds!

Internships are compulsory during the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design. Was it also an important criterion when you chose the Bachelor?

M.N: Work experience is clearly key when you apply for a job position. Even if you have a top degree, the first questions a recruiter asks you are about your experience. That’s what companies really look for when they hire you. Thanks to the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design, I will have a solid work experience (1 year of internship) and that’s very important to me.

My first internship will be this summer, and I must hold a position where I interact with people. IÉSEG has signed a partnership with the Disney company so we can go and work at Disney World, the famous theme park based in Orlando. Once again, it’s an extraordinary opportunity the School offered me, and I really hope I will be selected for the job. It will be a great experience, especially because it’s in another very attractive country and company. I look forward to discovering another way of working, other people I can meet and connect with.

How do you see your future once you graduate from the Bachelor in Management and Tech Design?

M.N: It seems so far away, as I only started the program a couple of months ago, but I hope I’ll have acquired all the necessary knowledge to start working in the tech industry or in a tech-related position. I hope I’ll find my final internship, a 6-month one, in a top company that will then offer me my first full-time position.

I hesitate between working in tech companies, like YouTube, Spotify or Google, and holding a position in luxury companies like Dior, Chanel… that really attracts me. But one thing is for sure: it will be connected to the tech dimension. This is my passion, that’s the reason why I chose this Bachelor and that’s what I want to do once I graduate from IÉSEG and Rubika.

A final piece of advice for future students?

M.N: Don’t be afraid to try something new! Lille is a great city, the IÉSEG campus is so nice and the professors are so passionate about their job and teaching… The Bachelor in Management and Tech Design is absolutely not like any other program I checked, and I promise, I did my research thoroughly! So just go for it!