Today, we went to the largest vintage market in Europe, called IJ Hallen. Large vintage markets are important to the culture of the Netherlands because the focus on living sustainably. So, instead of purchasing all new clothes it is getting rid of old ones, people often purchase secondhand goods and donate or sell their old ones. The size of the market was absolutely incredible. Every time I thought I was nearing the end, I saw another hundreds of items lined up and waiting to be purchased. It was also a fun way to see negotiation take place. I learned a few negotiation strategies in Organizational Behavior, such as setting a walk away price, so it was fun to see others relying upon those types of strategies to get the item for their target price. I didn’t purchase anything because I am kind of a germaphobe, so I’m not a fan of the secondhand items. There were a lot of very cool items that I was happy to see being repurposed. So, while I didn’t get to do any flea market flips, I was able to buy some pancakes, and those were definitely flipped. These are called pofferties, and they are a Dutch food. It’s always good to try a new Dutch snack.

Next, we met up with Pitt alumni for snacks and networking. It was very great to have resources to talk to and hear about their Pitt experience, their experiences in the workforce, and their time in the Netherlands. From these conversations, a common theme was that working in Europe allows you to have many more vacation days than the U.S. does. This is definitely something to consider when looking for a job, but also when advertising a job. The vacation days seem to be a big draw of having a job in Europe, so if a U.S. company wants to compete with a similar European company, it would be beneficial to lengthen the vacation days or advertise their other benefits that they provide instead. In addition, I noticed that most people did not end up working in a career field that did not completely align with what they studied in college. For example, Kiera studied Political Science at Pitt, and she ended up working in Energy Research. She gradually shifted from Political Science to Energy Research, and she ended up loving her job. In addition, Christina majored in Chemistry and minored in Business, and she ended up in a Marketing related position. This just goes to show that you really don’t have to have your mind made up completely. Overall, it was very interesting to see all of their different paths and backgrounds that led them to Amsterdam from Pitt. Everyone was so kind and willing to answer any questions we may have had. Networking is always a rewarding experience, and to do it with Pitt alumni in Amsterdam was even better.