12

IMS – Global Network for a lifetime

After having successfully worked hard through

four semesters, Danh-Quy Nguyen, 27, returned

to his homeland with future in his hands. He al-

ready got some work offers when he was still in

Germany. Since October he works at Ringier Viet-

nam, a Swiss media company, as Brand Manager

for Women’s Health Magazine. And it is great that

in January 2012 he will start his position as Digital

Managing Editor for ELLE Vietnam, another inter-

national magazine owned by the same company.

Knowledge about international media and

the multicultural experiences at IMS have helped

Nguyen to smoothly fi t into an international com-

pany. “Intercultural communication skills taught

at IMS allowed me to be able working together in

a team consisting of people from various

cultural backgrounds, who also have

different working styles”, he explains.

Moreover, the broad curriculum

of IMS has enabled Nguyen to solve

problems and multitask quickly in

the fi eld. Media projects at IMS

give the students an opportu-

nity to learn and practice making

various types of media. “With the

knowledge about online media I

learned at IMS, I’m now prepar-

ing a very nice Facebook cam-

paign for our magazine, with

viral marketing elements”, he says optimistically.

Nguyen hopes he can contribute to media de-

velopment in his country. He believes, “working

in a multinational company also means bringing

an international standard of media production to

the country”. For his career, this young Hanoian

now lives in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s largest

city with more than 9 million people. The situa-

tion there is very different from Bonn, a quiet little

town with well-organized public transportation.

He usually took xe ôm, Vietnamese motorbike

taxi, to work. But now he is a proud owner of a

red scooter.

Like her compatriot, Hien Nguyen, 30, also

has to ride her coffee-brown motorcycle for twen-

ty minutes to reach her offi ce. She is now back

at her previous position as assistant lecturerer

at the Academy of Journalism and Communica-

tion in Hanoi. “I really like the way my lecturerers

at DW-Academy taught us to do research. It is

very helpful for me to prepare my class,” tells the

mother of her 4-year-old son. Her work is also

very challenging because the classroom is not so

well equipped: not everybody in class can work

with a computer and go online.

On the continent of Africa, Emmy Chirchir, 26,

has to struggle to look for a job in media compa-

nies in Kenya. “If you don’t have two to three years

experience in journalism, most local media will

Bringing the future home

Bright-eyed & bushy tailed graduates: Emmy Chirchir (middle) and Hien Nguyen (right) are full of energy & enthusiam

Manager on duty: Danh-Quy Nguyen delivers the goods

The fi rst 16 IMS students already hold a master’s degree. What are they doing now?

By Veve Hitipeuw

13

IMS – Global Network for a lifetime

Having been a media expert for years, Dr. Seneviratne, 57, head of

research at the Asian Media Information and Communication Cen-

tre (AMIC), knows well about the current situation of media in Asia.

What are the challenges?

• Media commercialization is one of the biggest challenges. Nowa-

days, problems are not only coming from government, but also

special interest groups as well as economic pressures.

• Critical thinking is not well rooted in the Asian culture. Media

educators in universities do not nurture active participation in class.

In addition, many of them do not produce media themselves, so the

lectures are often too theoretical.

• There is still lack of research skills among journalists. A lot of

workloads and time limitation are the obstacles for journalists to

practice their research skills.

How should the future leaders in media look like?

Media today should act as watchdog over the gov-

ernment as well as other interest groups. Many

developing countries across Asia need more media

professionals with the following characteristics:

• Enjoy practicing critical thinking skills

• Practical experience with excellent research skills

• Able to work with different types of media

• Intercultural communication skills

not give you any chance,” she says. Before join-

ing IMS, she worked in fi lm and photography and

media education for youth in Nairobi. Now she

is back in the capital of Kenya, as marketing and

communication offi cer for Africa Enterprise Chal-

lenge Fund (AECF), a private sector fund. “At IMS

we had a little bit of everything, including expo-

sure in marketing & media planning. I’m enjoying

my work now because I can apply what I learned”,

explains Chirchir, a nature-lover. She hopes that

in the future she will still be able to develop her

career in journalism and bring innovation to the

media industry in her country.

In Brazil, Rodrigo Severo Rodembusch, 36,

is still waiting for his master’s degree to be ac-

knowledged by the Brazilian government. He

has to deal with some problems, such as cul-

ture shock and diffi culties fi nding a job. “The

challenges I am facing now are very big, be-

cause I was out of the market for two years

and although this master title may have an im-

portant meaning in Germany, in Brazil it is not

so well recognized as it should or could be”,

explains Rodembusch, a journalist with eight

years of experience. He hopes his title can be

soon recognized and facilitate him in pursuing a

bright career in media. In the future, he wants

to go further in his academic life, and plans to

apply for a PhD program. Optimistic: media expert Dr. Seneviratne

“More critical thinkers needed”

What IMS graduates can do for development, a view from Dr. Kalinga Seneviratne