The richness of CERN is in its variety of different nationalities and different profiles, all working together for science. 

Hello Jutta, tell us a little about yourself and what brought you to CERN.

I was born in Oulu, a small city in Northern Finland. However, I lived in sunny Mediterranean town Benicassim (in the Valencian Community, Spain) during my undergraduate and master’s studies. I feel very lucky to be able to call both Finland and Spain as my homes. I discovered CERN’s opportunities for students from several different educational background last Spring, when I was in a search of an interesting and international internship. The CERN Administrative student programme sounded like a dream to me, so I applied right away. I knew that a lot of people would be applying to these incredible programmes at CERN, but I decided that I am going to try my best with the application and cross my fingers - and here I am today answering these questions!

What do you do at CERN today?

I am administrative student in the Finance and Administrative Processes department, in the Business Computing section. This section supports the information systems for CERN’s administrative sector. I will be contributing in the CERN User Experience community by working with Business Analysts and Product Managers to help them better understand their customers’ needs, pain points and the customer experience. I was selected for this role especially thanks to my previous work experience with The Walt Disney Company where I gained a solid knowledge of intercultural communication and premium customer experiences. 

What is working at CERN like for you?

I feel very proud to work at CERN and represent CERN as one of the many international students. It is wonderful to be part of a significant international organisation whose goal includes advancing and developing scientific programmes that can serve a broad community – with a neutral and unpolitical approach. In addition, the work environment here is tremendously international and open-minded, which pleases me especially. 

What have been the main hurdles or challenges you encountered along the way?

I started at CERN only a couple months ago, so I am still in the learning process and getting to know this very complex organisation. At first there is a lot of information to take in, a lot to do and to see, like anywhere where you start a new job or new studying programme. I think it is taking me some time to adapt to my new role and to CERN as it is completely different to other places I have worked for, for example The Walt Disney Company. Nevertheless, what brings together the experience at CERN and at Disney is their large size, lots of different roles and profiles, and the international dimension. 

What advice would you give potential applicants?

I strongly encourage anyone interested or curious to work at CERN to apply. CERN is an incredibly complex and, above all welcoming organization that has room for a lot of different profiles and educational backgrounds. Don’t get discouraged by thinking about the amount of people applying to these positions, CERN offers a lot of different programmes and positions for all educational backgrounds. The richness of CERN is in its variety of different nationalities and different profiles, all working together for science.

Are you inspired by Jutta's story? Join CERN's student programmes, take part! https://careers.cern/students