Manos Mamalakis graduated in 2014 and since then has been has been working at Tripadvisor. He is explaining his experience at Bournemouth University. 

I did the MSc in Tourism Management and Marketing and graduated in 2014. A few months later I joined TripAdvisor for an internship scheme in the partnerships team. A year later I got a full time contract in Partnerships, and currently I have switched to the Key Accounts Sales team as an Operations Executive. My degree gave me a solid overview around the Online Marketing sector in the Tourism Industry. I was involved in more specific case studies that apply even today, and I acquired in-depth knowledge around the industry finance, as well as marketing techniques that big corporations use. The Tourism Management and Marketing has been a great course overall.  I was lucky enough to work with lecturers that were great professionals and amazing personalities. Some of the modules had a bit of a theoretical aspect, but I enjoyed more the ones that apply directly into the Tourism industry.

The BU experience was something unique to me, as I had never come across such educational efficiency and structure. I had the pleasure to meet new interesting people, brilliant classmates, and good friends. My time around the campus was an everyday enjoyment for me. The biggest help during my course was the adjustment into a diverse environment, with people from different backgrounds and cultures. This is something that I experience even today in my work environment. I would advise graduates to be patient during the job hunting. Sometimes it takes lots of time to find a role that you can fit in. Also it is very rare to find the perfect job right after graduating – there are times that you need to work in places that are not so ideal; but go for it, be professional and the universe will sort everything out.