Irina Nikolovska

Interview

Where do you work now, and what is your job title?

Founder of u/skillity, a community for mindful skill sharing.

What are your main duties in this role?

I oversee the overall operations of our business and manage all marketing activities.

Why did you choose this role, and what motivates you?

I believe that one of the most important things in life is to figure out what we are passionate about and bring that into reality. I’m inspired by people that don’t follow the traditional path but go beyond all odds to achieve what they are burning for. That is why I decided to build u/skillity, I want to be part of the learning revolution and by that help people to live more fulfilling lives.

Did you imagine you would be doing this kind of work before you started your degree?

No, I started playing around with the idea during my studies and decided to peruse it full time after the competition of my degree.

To what extent did the university, the university’s partners or the university staff prepare you for the work you do today?

I gained a foundation towards working independently and learned to push hard to achieve and fulfil my endeavours.

At which company/institution did you do your internship, and how would you rate your experiences there?

Before I ventured into the startup world I worked as a Junior Marketing Manager at Refund.me. I was lucky to be trusted and given the freedom to try out different things and unleash my creativity. The independence not only gave me the opportunity to learn a lot, but also made me feel more confident in my abilities.

What kind of contact did you have with your fellow students? What do you expect from these contacts in the future?

During my studies I was lucky to have met several amazing people that became one of my closest friends. We still see each other regularly and support each other in everything that comes our way.

When you think back to your degree, what are your fondest memories? What did you like in particular, and what were you less enthusiastic about?

My fondest memories are definitely connected to the people that I met. Having a group of amazing people share experiences with me has made the university experience even more exciting.

In your opinion, how important is it to be “open to change” in order to survive in the modern, digitally-driven working world of today and tomorrow?

We are all prone to change regardless if we want it or not. Technological advances have sped up the daily alterations eliciting us to have to make a bigger effort in following the changes and trends that come up. It’s inevitable that we have to adapt to the digital reforms.

Do you have a goal in terms of where you would like to be in 10 years’ time?

I hope that we will bring u/skillity to a success that will allow us to have a bigger and global impact in making learning much more accessible and people centred.