Student and Alumni Experiences

The university's Sectoral Education and Professional Development Department (SEPD) has been one of the biggest supporters of my career journey. Especially the interview simulations and mock interview opportunities they organized with different companies have helped me understand how I could make a difference and be successful in real job interviews. The feedback I received from real-life professionals has enabled me to express myself more confidently, accurately, and effectively in subsequent interviews and to have the opportunity to intern in the companies I wanted and the positions I desired.

In addition, the workshops and practical trainings I attended within the scope of the Pret (Pre-Employment Training) program have contributed not only to my professional career but also to my personal development. With the mentorship and training we received from experts in the field, I was able to go beyond the skills required to succeed in the business world. Topics such as transactional analysis, accurate goal setting, and emotional intelligence have helped me make more effective and strategic decisions at work and in my social life. Thanks to these trainings, I improved my competencies in analyzing current situations better, taking action, and assuming a leadership role within the team.

I was accepted to Özyeğin University Department of Interior Architecture and Environmental Design in 2019 as my first choice. After completing my degree and graduating successfully, I became interested in different sectors where I could use various skills I gained during my studies. I worked as part time student at the Sectoral Education and Professional Development Department. The personal support I received from them were very useful and gave me a new direction in my career. Currently, I am managing the corporate communication processes of a global furniture brand based in the United States at Stunner, Turkey.

Courses we took in Business School, such as SEC 401, allowed us to meet with industry experts and learn directly from them. This way, thanks to my university, I started preparing for business life early on. Furthermore, spending a semester in France with the Erasmus program in my 3rd year contributed greatly to my personal development, allowed me to evaluate future job opportunities, and express myself in the best way possible in the interviews I attended. Additionally, participating in the Peer Advisor program, where I supported new students in our university during their orientation process, was very enjoyable for me both in terms of socializing and growing with others.

After receiving a quality English preparation at Özyeğin University, I started the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate program. During the process, I had the opportunity to improve myself thanks to its internationally recognized academic staff, quality education, and social opportunities.

Obtaining my bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Özyeğin University helped me develop my technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills and use these competencies in different fields. Throughout my university and internship experiences, thanks to the competencies our school provided us, I could adapt to corporate work environments quickly and continue my career development in line with my goal.

In addition to my studies in the Mechanical Engineering program, Thanks to my part time work in the Professional Development office and participation in the Sectoral Orientation Week organization process, I improved my planning, organization, and management skills.

Currently, I work as an Information Technology Systems Manager at ISS Global Forwarding, a logistics and transportation company. I make the workflow efficient by ensuring device and network security for our employees in the European region.

I am very proud to be a graduate of Özyeğin University.

I graduated from the International Business and Trade undergraduate program as the top student with a 4.0 GPA. I took my first step into the world of banking and finance with my internship at Yapı Kredi Bank, to which I applied with the guidance of my statistics teacher. During this experience, I discovered my interest in banking, economics, and finance and realized I wanted to improve myself in these areas.

I had the opportunity to do my second internship at Fibabanka General Directorate. Throughout this process, the Sectoral Education and Professional Development Department kept in touch with me and supported me in my internship search. Additionally, during our graduation project course (SEC401), I received mentoring both on project and personal development from our experienced and expert instructors in the SEPD unit. In this way, I improved my skills. In addition, Ms. Şule from the SEPD unit supported me throughout my education and internship process with her sectoral knowledge and professional approach and directed me toward the opportunities that came my way.

The elective courses I took throughout my university life also significantly shaped my career journey. Thanks to Özyeğin University's applied and innovative education approach that overlaps with all sectors, I graduated as a top student with strong knowledge. This program offered me unique opportunities in both academic and professional business life. Thanks to the knowledge I gained and the advice from our instructors, who are experienced in their respective sectors, I started my professional career with a job that completely overlaps my interests and competencies. Currently, I am continuing my career as an Assistant Specialist in the Financial Institutions Department at Fibabanka General Directorate.

After stepping into professional business life, I can say that gaining experience before graduation is of great importance in putting academic knowledge into practice and taking a stronger step into the business world. In this context, the support and opportunities provided by Özyeğin University made it possible for me to feel ready for professional life and to master the dynamics in the sector. For example, the teaching assistant position in the Import Export Management Course (IBUS301) contributed greatly to my professional development. I guided students on topics such as the institutional framework of international trade, basic marketing, finance, and risk management tools and helped them develop import-export plans. Mentoring students interested in the same field as me gave me valuable experience. I found and applied for this assistantship position through SEPD's LinkProfessional platform. This entire journey has enabled the theoretical knowledge I learned at school to gain practical meaning through proper skills management. In this way, I have laid a solid foundation for my career, which I am still walking firmly forward.

In 2013, I started the Professional Flight program on a full scholarship. I graduated with honors in 2017. During the same year I graduated, I completed the application and interview processes and began working for Turkish Airlines. For the first 1.5 years, I flew as a First Officer on Boeing 737 aircraft. Since 2019, I have been flying Boeing 777 and Boeing 787 aircraft. I consider myself fortunate because operating wide-body aircraft and flying the 777/787 has been both an excellent career experience and has allowed me to enjoy some of the best times of my life.

In addition to my piloting duties, I also serve as a theoretical course instructor within the company. For the past two years, I have been working as an additional role in the "Human Factors and Training Methodologies" department. In this department, we conduct research on human factors in airline operations; we design training programs aimed at increasing awareness of cognitive and social skills necessary for managing human error and operational threats, and improving pilot competencies. Taking on this role alongside piloting has not only allowed me to experience both office and flying life but has also added dynamism and a new perspective to my career. Where I discovered my interest in this side of the profession was the elective courses we took at university such as "Crew Resource Management", "Aviation Psychology" and "Accident Crime Investigation".

At Özyeğin University, we received training that not only covered theoretical and practical flight training but also developed the holistic pilot competencies required by modern aviation. I can say that the university was the first place that opened the door to the academic side of aviation in addition to "piloting". I believe that the academic courses related to "human factors" we took, along with theoretical and practical flight lessons, enriched our pilot training and made us "competent pilots" as Özyeğin graduates in the advancement of modern aviation. I see that we are creating value together from the feedback we've received as Özyeğin pilots in recruitment interviews and check flights, and I am happy about that.

I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable flying career.

I, Defne Bulut, started my university education at Özyeğin University, Department of Industrial Engineering, in 2018. In addition to my classes, I tried to take an active role in school clubs and meet new people by participating in various events to develop my career plan. During this process, I decided that I wanted to work in corporate life, in the field of Operations. My biggest supporters in making these decisions were the experts in their fields whom I had the opportunity to meet during my university years.

In the summer of my junior year, I started my internship at GlaxoSmithKline, where I had my first work experience. While working in the Supply Chain, as a part of the Operations, I worked with various departments, from import to logistics and sales to finance, and gained more information to shape my career journey, just as I had dreamed. Upon graduation, I became a full-time employee at the same company. I started implementing and improving things I had observed during my internship. Meanwhile, while I was at university, I applied to different internship programs and had the opportunity to meet with L'Oréal, which was my dream company. At the end of various interviews and the long recruitment process, I started working at L'Oréal as a Supply Chain Specialist in January 2023.

Since then, I have been working in L'Oréal's Luxury Products Division, where I am responsible for e-commerce. Even though we encounter a different difficulty every day due to the current economic conditions, it is very enjoyable to approach problems with a solution focus, take the necessary actions, find methods to advance the current business more efficiently, and spend time in the wide area provided by the work associated with many departments. I believe that my biggest chance is to do the job I love in a place I love while I'm still at the beginning of my career. I would like to thank my professors and my university for their endless support in finding what I truly wanted in this process.

Hello, I am Berra Taşdemir. I am a 4th year Computer Engineering student, and I started my career journey with the Erasmus+ internship I did in Barcelona in my 2nd year. This experience allowed me to explore different areas of my field and gain professional work experience abroad. The excellent English education I received at ÖzÜ was a great advantage in working comfortably in an international environment.

While I was searching for my second mandatory internship, I participated in Fiba Group's FibaWay internship program with the guidance of Özyeğin University's Professional Development Department. This program offered a special experience that lasted 2 months and included a Technical and Empathy Internship. I did my technical internship in the Data Science and Business Intelligence Department at Fiba Retail and my empathy internship in the Sales Department at Fibabanka. This process helped me better understand other teams' working dynamics and business processes and develop my technical abilities.

My internship at Fiba Retail turned into a 9-month long-term internship, during which I worked part-time while continuing my studies. Working and quickly becoming part of a team that is open to teaching has been an invaluable experience for me. Since I enjoy working in the Retail and E-Commerce sectors, I have decided to continue in this field. After completing my internship at the beginning of the summer, I started a new long-term internship as a Business Intelligence Engineer at Amazon Turkey. I believe that with this internship, I will further improve myself, especially in the field of business intelligence.

After graduation, I want to progress on this path by continuing my education and professional career in Data Science.

At the Hotel Management Department of Özyeğin University, I have learned that a hotelier must develop knowledge in many fields, such as Management, Psychology, Sociology, Marketing and Communication, Revenue Management, Architecture, Art, and Engineering. All these disciplines are necessary to meet and exceed the needs and desires of the guests. In addition, I did many group projects, presentations, and internships during my studies. Also, I had the opportunity to participate in the EMCup (European Mise En Place Cup) Competition, held among the best Hotel Management universities in Europe. As “OZU Exenia,” we won the second-best academic paper award.


Furthermore, this competition helped me leave my comfort zone and face my fear of public speaking. Currently, as the Digital Marketing and Communications Officer, I am responsible for visual and content updates of all Raffles Istanbul accounts on its digital platforms. In this process, I use various digital marketing methods such as SEO, content marketing, social media strategies, digital campaigns, and email marketing. Adapting to the ever-changing dynamics of the digital world, producing creative solutions in this field, and integrating it with the tourism industry are some aspects of this work that excite me the most. At the same time, constantly learning and improving myself in this field is an important source of motivation for me.

The time I spent in the Marks and Spencer Field Internship, guided by the Professional Development Department, gave me many new qualifications and helped me improve my existing ones. One of these was my communication skills. During this process, I tried to find answers to people's questions by contacting them one-on-one. I have understood what it means to be part of a team and realized the importance of discipline. In addition, I experienced firsthand how tolerant and empathetic managers affect performance. Of course, there were moments when I had difficulty because we could encounter a problem at any time, and had to to solve these problems while prioritizing the satisfaction of the customers. Frankly, we all go in and out of such stores daily and come into contact with the employees there. However, before this experience, I could not have empathized with them this much. One thing I learned from this instructive process is that no matter what job someone does or how big or small, every employee's sacrifices and efforts are great. I hope that every student can get a chance to gain the value of this internship process that I have experienced.