Erasmus+ Masters Loan: Sven Celin

The loan allowed him to find accommodation in a relatively central location, near the university. “I had taken a gap year back in Croatia and saved up some money as well, but with the loan I was able to get an apartment where I can live with my girlfriend, close to the university and not waste time commuting.”

The apartment also serves as his playground for his hobby. “I like to tinker with controllers and robotics, setting up my own video surveillance system…that kind of thing. I spend a lot of time creating motion sensors - the dog keeps setting them off - and more recently, I had fun building an automated Christmas tree that works with Google assistant.“

Sven is currently working on his thesis, which focuses on gambling addiction in casinos. “We analyse datasets, looking at gamer profiles, their behaviour, the amounts involved and things like that, to study how to best target messaging to reduce addiction,” he adds. This hands-on approach offered by the University in Graz is something Sven highlights as very important: “The approach in Austrian higher education is based on learning by practicing and participating in concrete projects. This is really helpful for young people on the job market as you are employable immediately after you finish studying.”

With only the thesis left to complete his studies, Sven has been applying for jobs and already lined one up for February 2021 at a company where he did a short internship. “I’ll be doing data analysis for large storage facilities,” he says, “so I think I’ll be repaying that loan within the next 2-3 years if all goes well.”