From judge to student coach at the Maastricht Institute of Arts

It happens: you've almost graduated and you already know what you want to do next. Lucky you. What also happens: you have doubts, you’re not quite sure yet what you want to do next. What suits me, what makes me happy? If this is the case, you may benefit from the experience of Inka Dautzenberg. She was a judge for sixteen years, and now works as a student coach at the Maastricht Institute of Arts.

Text Jules Coenegracht Photo Johannes Timmermans

“When I graduated secondary school, I went to study at Maastricht University. On the one hand, because I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do yet, and on the other hand because I was interested in study programmes about society. At first, I considered studying economics, but law seemed to be closer to what I was looking for.

‘Once I finished my law studies, I got a job as a lawyer at the municipality of Venlo. I represented the municipality during court hearings, which is how I became familiar with the field of justice. I found it interesting, so I decided to qualify as a judge. The court has several departments, and I worked in a few of them. Eventually I specialized in juvenile law. I found this particularly appealing because the cases are not so much about punishment, but rather about the question: what changes can be made, so you won’t end up here again? I was a judge for sixteen years.’

‘However, at a certain point I thought: this isn’t quite what I wanted. I turned 40 and asked myself the question: do I really want to do this until I’m 70? The answer was no. While figuring out what I actually wanted to do, I discovered that I enjoy interacting with people. As a judge, you mainly have to use your head. I realized that I prefer to do things that involve working with others. I don’t want to sit in a room all by myself, and just use my brain.’

‘I am now a student coach at the Maastricht Institute of Arts, which is part of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences. I talk with students who are having difficulties. We don’t talk about study results, but about personal things, and about the future. How can you move forward? Even though my salary and job security decreased tremendously, I go to work with such joy every day. I don’t have any dead weight in my head anymore, and I don’t have to spend my time thinking about things I don’t want to think about. In the Netherlands, you have to make choices very early, and that already starts in secondary school. When you turn eighteen, you choose your study programmes, and after you’ve graduated, you choose a job and a career. But just because you made a certain choice, doesn’t necessarily mean that you have to spend the rest of your life doing the same thing You can always change the path you’re on and ask yourself: what makes me happy, what motivates me?’