Vladimir Golov, IEM Graduate of 2020: "Economists' Understanding of the World Can Be Called the Most Adequate"
Vladimir Golov graduated from the Institute of Economics and Management in 2020 with a degree in "Business Analytics." Today, he heads the Trade Union Organization of Students at Tomsk State University.
— At the time of my graduation from high school, it was prestigious to enter Tomsk State University. Back then, the Institute of Economics and Management was just being formed, and nobody really knew what it was. I planned to apply for economics because it sounded cool. I also considered applied mathematics or history. By the way, something interesting happened with the Faculty of Historical and Political Sciences. Toward the end of the admissions campaign, I was told that I didn't have enough points for IEM. So I picked up my original documents and transferred them to FIPN. Then suddenly, the secretary of the admissions committee, Mikhail Baraksanov, called me and said that I had a chance to get into IEM if I could get to TSU within 40 minutes. I live outside the city, but I managed to arrive — and I was accepted into the institute with my 244 points.
— What are your brightest memories of your student years?
— All of student life was bright. Because from my second year of bachelor's to my first year of master's, I was the chairman of the trade union bureau. Since our institute was relatively new, I managed to introduce many traditions while preserving the history of the faculties that became part of IEM but had existed long before it. And all of this needed to be passed on to new students. Throughout my three years as chairman of the trade union bureau, it was all bright emotions. They began on September 1, 2016, when I first came to IEM as a student, and they continue to this day.
— Tell us about your career path since graduation. What were your first successes and challenges?
— In my 4th year, I became a specialist at the trade union committee. That was my first permanent job. And the very first entry in my employment record book was as a passenger carriage attendant. I worked as an attendant for the student group "Blue Arrow." My first successes and challenges coincided with the COVID year of 2020. Just one day before COVID hit, I became a trade union committee specialist, and our challenge was to define the new reality: what could we offer in terms of help and support — physical, material, moral, psychological — for students who stayed in Tomsk dormitories. After that, work became easier and more stable.
When I became chairman of the trade union, my team and I set the development direction for student self-government. We elevated the trade union bureau and commissions to a high level, and our trade union membership grew.
Currently, I am a postgraduate student and am doing everything possible to complete my postgraduate studies and obtain a candidate of sciences degree.
— What knowledge and skills acquired at IEM help you in your work today?
— First is certainly getting to know people. It's about connections. Second is a basic understanding of the world, because economists' understanding of the world can be called the most adequate. We see how to assess the quality of this world, its depth. I have a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in management. It's a good combination that helps me now understand the subject matter and understand people, and to gather interested people around me.
— What is your main advice for current IEM students?
— Spend all four years with pleasure. That means you need to study, because IEM's instructors are wonderful. And students should respond with great effort — building on that, you will achieve results.
Interview by: Dana Cherkashina, TSU Faculty of Journalism
— At the time of my graduation from high school, it was prestigious to enter Tomsk State University. Back then, the Institute of Economics and Management was just being formed, and nobody really knew what it was. I planned to apply for economics because it sounded cool. I also considered applied mathematics or history. By the way, something interesting happened with the Faculty of Historical and Political Sciences. Toward the end of the admissions campaign, I was told that I didn't have enough points for IEM. So I picked up my original documents and transferred them to FIPN. Then suddenly, the secretary of the admissions committee, Mikhail Baraksanov, called me and said that I had a chance to get into IEM if I could get to TSU within 40 minutes. I live outside the city, but I managed to arrive — and I was accepted into the institute with my 244 points.
— What are your brightest memories of your student years?
— All of student life was bright. Because from my second year of bachelor's to my first year of master's, I was the chairman of the trade union bureau. Since our institute was relatively new, I managed to introduce many traditions while preserving the history of the faculties that became part of IEM but had existed long before it. And all of this needed to be passed on to new students. Throughout my three years as chairman of the trade union bureau, it was all bright emotions. They began on September 1, 2016, when I first came to IEM as a student, and they continue to this day.
— Tell us about your career path since graduation. What were your first successes and challenges?
— In my 4th year, I became a specialist at the trade union committee. That was my first permanent job. And the very first entry in my employment record book was as a passenger carriage attendant. I worked as an attendant for the student group "Blue Arrow." My first successes and challenges coincided with the COVID year of 2020. Just one day before COVID hit, I became a trade union committee specialist, and our challenge was to define the new reality: what could we offer in terms of help and support — physical, material, moral, psychological — for students who stayed in Tomsk dormitories. After that, work became easier and more stable.
When I became chairman of the trade union, my team and I set the development direction for student self-government. We elevated the trade union bureau and commissions to a high level, and our trade union membership grew.
Currently, I am a postgraduate student and am doing everything possible to complete my postgraduate studies and obtain a candidate of sciences degree.
— What knowledge and skills acquired at IEM help you in your work today?
— First is certainly getting to know people. It's about connections. Second is a basic understanding of the world, because economists' understanding of the world can be called the most adequate. We see how to assess the quality of this world, its depth. I have a bachelor's degree in economics and a master's in management. It's a good combination that helps me now understand the subject matter and understand people, and to gather interested people around me.
— What is your main advice for current IEM students?
— Spend all four years with pleasure. That means you need to study, because IEM's instructors are wonderful. And students should respond with great effort — building on that, you will achieve results.
Interview by: Dana Cherkashina, TSU Faculty of Journalism
- All interviews with graduates of the Institute of Economics and Management in the anniversary project marking IEM's 10th anniversary are available here.