Moving to a new country to study is one thing. Building a career there after graduation is another. For a Nigerian Kaunas University of Technology (KTU) graduate, Ifeoluwanimi Adesina, finding her place in Lithuania’s job market took determination, a strong portfolio, and seven job applications to Bored Panda. Today, she is doing exactly what she once dreamed of – making a living by telling stories.
When Ifeoluwanimi arrived in Lithuania, she knew the kind of career she wanted. What she did not know was whether there would be room for her ambitions in a country where she did not speak the local language.
“I had always seen myself working in the media and entertainment industry, which was one of the reasons I chose to study New Media Language. However, I wasn’t entirely sure what that would look like in Lithuania,” she recalls.
Today, her working days are filled with entertainment stories, interviews, and the latest trends catching people’s attention online. As a writer at Bored Panda, she has found her place in the industry she once hoped to enter.
The Seventh Time Was Lucky
Ifeoluwanimi had wanted to work at Bored Panda since her university days. She often saw the company at KTU Career Days and followed its job openings, hoping to find a position that matched her interests.
The first application did not work out, and neither did the next few. Yet she continued checking for new openings, even after repeated rejections.
Writing for Magazines, Books and Film
For someone who had always been drawn to storytelling, KTU’s New Media Language programme offered plenty of opportunities to explore that interest.
“I will always have a bias for the New Media Language programme at KTU because I genuinely enjoyed my time studying it,” Ifeoluwanimi admits.
Creative Writing, Writing for Media, Elements of Media Culture, and Web Content Creation and Publishing were among the courses that stood out to her. But some of the experiences she remembers most fondly happened when she had the chance to put what she learned into practice.
She wrote her third screenplay, filmed a short movie, and later saw it premiere at Osnabrück Culture Night.
A Career in Lithuania Without Speaking Lithuanian?
Despite her growing portfolio and practical experience, finding a job in Lithuania came with its own challenges, particularly because she did not speak Lithuanian.
“I want to be honest and say that not knowing Lithuanian affected my job search,” Ifeoluwanimi explains.
The difficulty was particularly relevant to her chosen field. Media companies creating content for local audiences often need employees who can write and communicate in Lithuanian, meaning some opportunities were simply out of reach.
After graduation, Ifeoluwanimi wanted to explore her career options in Lithuania before considering opportunities elsewhere. The possibility of staying in the country for a year to look for work gave her time to do just that.
She is equally practical about the language question. Not every industry offers the same opportunities to English speakers, and she encourages students to investigate their chosen field rather than assume that finding work without speaking Lithuanian will be easy. Learning the language, she adds, can be useful even when a job does not require it.
When Your Dream Becomes Your Everyday Job
“I love writing, so being able to work in a field that genuinely interests me feels like being paid to breathe,” she says.
She appreciates the international team and the small gestures of recognition that make her feel valued beyond the stories she produces.
Now that she has achieved her goal of working in entertainment media, Ifeoluwanimi is beginning to think about where she wants to take her career next.
For students still figuring out their own paths, she suggests starting with a simple exercise.
