An unexpected journey

For Willem Frishert, the way to Linköping University from his home town in the Netherlands was both unexpected and serendipitous. After visiting a friend in Linköping in 2004, one thing led to another and a couple years later, while working on his bachelor’s thesis, Willem stumbled upon LiU’s Master’s Programme in Advanced Computer Graphics in Norrköping.

Name: Willem Frishert
Degree: 2008
Job: Video Quality Engineer for Skype
Lives in: Stockholm

It was exactly the kind of programme he was looking for to continue his studies and he found the idea of studying in Sweden to be attractive as well, citing the overall good knowledge of English and - compared to the Netherlands - the wide open spaces.

One year after graduating in 2008 Willem was hired as a video quality engineer for Skype in Stockholm, where he is still working today. He is responsible for improving the functionality and quality of Skype’s video calls. While working as a research assistant at LiU he also got to put his knowledge of computer graphics to use first hand while helping to create the Virtual Autopsy Table, now on display at Norrköping’s Visualisation Centre C.

Practical knowledge and benefits were important

Looking back on his time at LiU, Willem says he was surprised by the practical knowledge acquired from his study programme.

– I was able to understand how a lot of the special effects for movies and games are made; I really didn’t anticipate getting a hold of such knowledge, I figured the courses would be more theoretical in nature.

He counts the cutting edge education he received as being one of the most beneficial aspects of studying at LiU, but he also mentions positively the sense of independence gained by studying in another country and the opportunity to meet both Swedish and international students from all over the world with similar interests as him.

Challenges along the way

Despite the plusses of studying at LiU it took some time before he felt he was on the right path.

– It took a while for me to feel that I had made the right choice. Before my master’s thesis I guess I always had doubts about whether I had made the right choice or whether I really would be able to complete the programme, but when I started writing my thesis this all changed.

Another difficulty was the language. Even though English is spoken by everyone, Willem still says that not knowing Swedish was a bit challenging at times.

– As Swedish people sometimes fall back onto Swedish to have a quick discussion or to ask each other a question, foreign students are left in the dark and only end up hearing the conclusion or answer. As a foreigner, you miss out on what led to this conclusion or answer, so I would always ask for the detailed explanation to get a full understanding.

Apart from the mixed lectures, he recalls that he had plenty of opportunities to interact with Swedish students through parties and through living in a Swedish dormitory.

Broadening what he left with

There isn’t much Willem says he would have done differently during his time at LiU, except maybe learn more Swedish or write his master’s thesis in conjunction with a company’s operations. After graduating he didn’t imagine he would end up working for a company like Skype, but he sees it as a way to further broaden and develop some of what he received from his education at LiU.

– I think it will broaden my experience, allow me to get into the industry, and also complement some of what I was missing from my university studies.