Marcus Rapacioli

Marcus studied on the BA Modern Languages and Cultures with Year Abroad programme, with a focus on Russian and Italian and graduated in July 2019.

Please tell us a bit about what you do now

I’m a Product Manager, currently completing a Master’s in Management of Technology at New York University in the US. At time of writing I’m living in the San Francisco Bay Area working for a software startup.

What did you do on your year abroad?

I spent my year abroad between Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Milan. I opted to work in all three as I wanted to understand more about the working cultures in Russia and Italy. In Saint Petersburg I was at a Russian language school and wrote articles for their website in exchange for free Russian tuition. In Moscow I was working for a PR firm that focused on finance. In Milan I worked at a retail property investment company. I really valued being outside of my comfort zone, living and working in an environment where I wasn’t a native speaker. Soon, I learnt to love the experience of rocking up somewhere new, not knowing anyone and putting myself out there to meet people and integrate - my experience in Russia and Italy gave me the courage, and desire, to work in the US.

What did you do after leaving Durham?

In the summer prior to leaving Durham I took part in a coding bootcamp and learnt how to build web applications. I kept this up after graduation and worked as a software developer for a handful of startups in London, as well as taking on some of my own projects. Whilst I enjoyed programming I was aware that I was never going to be a specialist engineer and was drawn to the broad focus and cross-functional work of product management. It’s a role that sits between business, engineering and design and lets you wear many hats.

What is the most important piece of advice you'd like to give to students of Modern Languages?

Immersing yourself in the country is the best way to really level up your language skills. Speak it at work, with friends and in day-to-day interactions and pretty soon you’ll reach a level of fluency that you didn’t think was possible. Periodically refreshing grammar to reduce mistakes is important but when you’re speaking it’s best to forget about any errors and feel comfortable in the moment - even many native speakers make mistakes!

Another piece of advice is to not rule out the Tech industry when thinking about life after Durham! You don’t need to write code to make the most of the skills a Modern Languages degree gives you. Pattern recognition, context switching, relationship building - all are highly transferable!

Click here to see Marcus' LinkedIn (feel free to reach out).