“The UPPA opened up a new range of possibilities for me.”
After a Master’s 1 and 2 in Sustainable Development, Planning, Society and Territory at the UPPA and work experience in public policy, a sector she particularly enjoys, Marianne Pachoud created her own business in 2019.
Why did you choose this Master’s in particular?
Following an HND in landscaping and a vocational Bachelor’s in Management and Coordination of Urban Development projects at Aix-en-Provence, I was looking for a Master’s centred on urbanism, space and use analysis, and sociology. The course at the UPPA ticked all the boxes, so I applied. At the time, I had no clear idea of what sort of job I would be doing two years later, and looking back now, I've no regrets at all! It's definitely thanks to the Master's course that I found my niche and was able to imagine my future.
How did it help you choose your professional future?
It was pretty hazy to start with. I was really interested in drawing up public policies, but I couldn’t see myself in a particular function, or in entrepreneurship. The internships I did in M1 and M2 really made up my mind. I was able to put sociological survey techniques into practice and I found it really captivating. One of the lecturers of the Master’s offered me my first internship, which was research-focused. The aim was to work on “Farmland preservation by local players in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department.” Investigating that issue enabled me to face the realities on the ground and stakeholders’ points of view and was the subject of a memo at one of the CNRS’ symposiums. I remember feeling very proud to have played a part in it as a student. The second, professional, internship took me back to the same topic, this time with two land players, the SAFER Aquitaine Atlantique (Land use and rural settlement corporation) and the Etablissement Public Foncier Local (Public institution for local land) of the Basque country. Both internships helped me understand that what motivated me was liaising between the structures, all the different players involved.
How did your project of becoming a freelance institutional analyst come about?
When I returned to Grenoble after the Master’s and two years spent in land agencies, I trained in institutional analysis to become a freelance consultant in 2019. Everything I learned during the Master’s – problematising, analysing, changing points of view, solving a problem – I use in my conflict management approach.
What did those years at the UPPA bring you?
Those two years at the UPPA opened up an incredible range of possibilities for me, a profession I never would have thought of, working for public interest. Another important aspect was the proximity of the geography research lab where I met some wonderful people and had the opportunity to discuss things with PhD students. I spent a lot of time there.
Two words that come to mind when you think of the UPPA?
Research and proximity.
What message do you have for a young person thinking of joining one of the UPPA’s courses?
I'd tell them to use those years to explore possibilities, to get to know themselves better and find their niche.
And for a young graduate at the end of their curriculum?
That entrepreneurship is a wonderful adventure! It’s a path to be considered and university can take you there.
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