Following is an interview of a senior AIESEC TKK member Jukka Blomberg, who tells about what AIESEC is.
 

Jukka Blomberg’s reasons for joining AIESEC were quite typical for an engineering student. “In Autumn 2002 AIESEC had what was quite possibly the best party I’ve ever been”, this sixth (and his last) year Computer Sciences student recalls.

Partying wasn’t enough, however. Jukka started to find like-minded people in the AIESEC organization and became a member in the same semester. As usual, his AIESEC experience started with him joining the team, followed by a series of odd jobs like practicing trainee “sales” and company visits.

After a spell in designing so-called “product packages” – pre-planned traineeship solutions for organizations, such as Highway to Russia which employed Russian students in companies planning to expand to the east – Blomberg was associated in planning and executing a computerized traineeship sales management software. The system is currently in use in AIESEC committees in four different countries and its popularity is rising. “There is still much to do”, hints Jukka for those with inclination to tinker with software – AIESEC TKK waits your call if improving really useful programs interests you…

Jukka’s been busy with all sorts of activities, from planning to training, but what exactly was the best part about his AIESEC experience? When I asked him to make the long story short, he told about things like fun activities, about atmosphere conductive for developing oneself – but in a relaxed, laid-back manner. Last but by far not the least, AIESEC has given him an “enormous” worldwide network of friends and contacts. “Right now I have dozens of really good friends around the world, and I know what different businesses abroad want from their employees. I know what kind of openings there are available.” As Jukka plans to spend at least a few years working abroad, his contacts are sure to be most useful.

Effective networking is probably the thing which separates AIESEC from many other student organizations. According to Jukka, taking part in AIESEC activities will also teach strategic planning and, naturally, improve salesmanship and social skills.
“AIESEC offers much more than any university can give. In here, you get to test your own abilities and create rapport – friendships – around the globe.”

But what makes a person an AIESEC person? This was apparently a very difficult question, and Jukka was forced to admit that there are no stereotypical AIESEC members. The organization’s strength is in its diversity, but deep down, one common denominator might be the individual’s willingness to develop their potential. “There might be a kind of a belief, that your own actions can make the difference”, Jukka muses.