David Joon
Alumnus International Bachelor Media and Communication
David Joon graduated from the International Bachelor of Communication and Media Studies (IBCoM) at the Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication in 2022. After his studies, he joined the European Parliament, working as an external contractor in DG COMM's Strategy and Innovation Unit. This might not be a field of work you would immediately think of working in with an IBCoM degree. In a short interview, he reflects on the IBCoM programme and explains his interest in working for a European institution. Do you read along?
Why did you choose to study IBCoM and what do you remember most from this study programme?
I chose to study IBCoM because of the international character of the study programme: studying with fellow international students, about topics and themes with a global perspective. I was already interested in communication before I started my bachelor programme, but only discovered during my studies how communication is more than just simple marketing, namely: an art with many forms. What has stayed with me most is precisely that variety of perspectives, topics and themes, and the freedom in the programme to choose what I wanted to learn in years 2 and 3.
How did you find out what you wanted to do after studying IBCoM?
During IBCoM I discovered that I was very interested in the European Union, in particular in the question of communicating such a complex machine in an understandable and accessible way to people from 27 different countries. Since I was able to select my subjects in such a way that I could study what seemed interesting and useful to me, I ended up choosing mainly subjects dealing with political communication. So for me it was already quite clear in which direction I wanted to go after my studies. But even if you don't know what you want to do later, IBCoM is a good study programme, because you have a wide range of subjects that allows you to discover step by step what suits you and what doesn't.
Can you tell us something about your work at the Directorate-General for Communication in the European Parliament?
Shortly after my studies, I had the opportunity to do an internship in the communication department of the European Parliament in Brussels. Here I experienced the most interesting period from a communications perspective: the institutional campaign to inform the 350+ million voting European citizens about the 2024 European elections, and to convince them of the importance of using their vote. After my internship, I was given the opportunity to continue working in my team as an external contractor, which I have been doing for a year now. I am currently working with my team to prepare the communication strategy for the next five years - super interesting! In doing this and other tasks, I greatly benefit from the strategic thinking on mass communication, intercultural sensitivities, and writing skills that I developed during IBCoM.
Finally, do you have any tips for current IBCoM students who will soon enter the job market?
My most important piece of advice, perhaps a bit of a cliché, is to follow your heart! Do what makes you happy, and what gives you satisfaction. It's a bonus if what makes you happy does not only help yourself, but also others, or society as a whole.