Where professional interest is coupled with inner motivation

Interview with Szabolcs Bodri

He was a member of an underground band at the time of being admitted to our university to study Communication and Media Science. By the time he received his Master’s degree, he was the head of the college for advanced studies. Szabolcs Bodri, awarded the Distinguished Student title at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences, is ambitious but not overly concerned about his career path: even as a fresh graduate, he is open-minded and versatile.

In addition to your university studies, you were also active in the kommON College for advanced studies in the field of communication, where you were elected president after only two years. What did being a member of this College add to your career? 

From the very beginning, I felt that the college was a surefire opportunity, not to be missed.  

It contributed to my career through the responsibilities I had to take on in this role: being in charge of something has given me a sense of responsibility over the years that I can only be grateful for. There were tasks in the college where you really had to give it your all, otherwise certain things wouldn’t have been done. If we don’t write an application for financing with the required content or format or by the required deadline, we don’t have the financial support and many of our programmes are cancelled. These situations are not only challenging, but also feel like a major responsibility. 

Also, I received some job offers through the college, among others. I got my internship and my first serious job through kommON. 

As a fresh graduate, you worked as an internal communications trainee in an international company. What exactly does this mean and how does it relate to your studies? 

My job can best be described as a content manager: it’s like in-house journalism. 

In the division where I worked, there is a demand to produce internal content, which is then published in a newsletter. I was responsible for producing, preparing and translating the content, as it was an international company, and also having it approved. So I approached the topics partly through interviews and partly through research. 

Why did you choose to work in the field of content development after specialising in visual communication for your bachelor’s degree? 

I do not see this as a change of direction: I am trying to gain professional experience. Gradually, I would like to find the methods or solutions that will bring my interests and other motivations to life. 

I’d like to try a little bit of everything: I’m confident in translating to and from English, I’m passionate about writing and working independently. I would like to have a better insight into areas where these basic skills are needed, so that I can really develop a quasi-fixed interest and a set of skills. I try to be flexible, but there are certainly situations where it doesn’t show: for example, I’m not so flexible when it comes to cultural entertainment. 

Author: Nikolett Csaba
Photo: Szabolcs Bodri