Corriene van Eck obtained her Bachelor’s degree in General Theology in 2013. So, how does she look back on her studies at VU Amsterdam? And is what she learnt still relevant for her current job as consultant at &Samhoud?
In 2009, Corriene began a teacher-training programme at a university of applied sciences, but realised several weeks later that it was not really for her. So, she decided to switch to the General Theology programme* at VU Amsterdam. “It suited me better as a route into teaching. While I studied, I had a part-time job and also taught about sustainability in schools. I really enjoyed the process of teaching, but gradually realised that the role of teacher and the idea of always doing the same thing didn’t really suit me.”
A combination of Theology and Governance Sciences
Corriene had a lot of free-choice components in her Bachelor’s programme, so she did a minor in Governance and Organisational Sciences in Utrecht. “I realised that I had a fascination for the issues that organisations face. That was an area in which I was keen to develop further.” This minor was enough to enable her to take a Master’s programme in the same specialisation at VU Amsterdam after her degree. The two programmes turned out to be a good combination. “General Theology covered themes that focus on attributing meaning. You take a detached view in considering your own ideas and truths and those of others and learn to empathise with and understand other people’s perspectives. It’s multidisciplinary, which makes it really fascinating. The lessons I learned proved useful for my Master’s, which focused on meaningful work within organisations.”
An unexpected career path
Corriene now works as an organisational consultant at &Samhoud. It is not the first job one would associate with a degree in General Theology. “My background and CV certainly spark people’s curiosity. I took a different career path than people would expect.” Despite this, her background is still relevant for this job. “I mainly work for the financial sector, exploring behavioural risks within organisations. How can you prevent future problems of an ethical nature by understanding people’s behaviour? What happens if you consider the spirit of the law rather than just the rules? How do you teach people to make their own moral decisions and discuss dilemmas? These are really interesting themes at the interface between theology and life itself.”
Advice for aspiring students: “Always remain open to new directions. Your Bachelor’s degree offers so much potential. In the end, I ended up somewhere different than I expected. So, it helps to always have an open perspective.”
*The Bachelor’s degree in General Theology has been renamed Theology.
