Alumnus Julien De Wit talks about his pitfalls
In ‘Stream of consciousness’, we give the floor to someone from the UAntwerp community. Today it is Julien De Wit’s turn. He completed a Master of International Relations and Diplomacy and was president of the Flemish Union of Students. Now he works as a consultant, columnist and keynote speaker, and has already authored two books.
What drives you?
A huge curiosity of sorts, the idea that there’s still so much to learn and discover. This thought is very appealing to me and is also the driving force behind my books, columns and projects. I love to get my teeth into something, to get to the bottom of it and see how it can be improved.
What is your motto?
Life’s a party, you just need to put up the decorations yourself.
How old do you feel?
I sometimes feel 80, sometimes 25 and sometimes 10. I don’t really believe in age.
Who is your inspiration?
Many people inspire me in different ways, but my parents take the cake. Their approach to life and the love that my brother and I felt growing up is admirable.
Which professor impressed you the most?
There were many. To single out one, Renate Barbaix was a person I looked up to. And still do. Her talent for explaining things, her knowledge, her thoroughness... And I’ve also always liked her strict but loving approach to working with students. What a boss!
Do you have any advice for future students?
Put things into perspective.
What is the most important lesson you learned at university?
That you never stop learning. Not after secondary school. Not after university. Never. You also start realising how fragile and imperfect the knowledge is that you acquire. Whatever you learn today can be outdated tomorrow. That’s the beauty of science.
What does UAntwerp mean for you today?
For me, it’s the place where I was really able to become myself. I never felt great throughout primary and secondary school. University was a stimulating environment where I had the freedom and opportunity to develop myself. I will always be grateful to it because of this.
Whatever you learn today can be outdated tomorrow. That’s the beauty of science.
How did your friends and family react to your career choice?
I’ve always been a guy who made atypical choices. So those around me don’t shock that easily. I do a lot of things simultaneously: I work as a consultant and entrepreneur, I write books and columns, I give lectures and keynote speeches, I study on the side... But those things don’t conflict with each other in my head. I find happiness in learning, reading and thinking, and then sharing those things with the world. That’s the bottom line, whether it’s for a client, for a group of people that attend a lecture or for others. Some find the combination of things I do difficult to understand, as they want to put you in a box. But I don’t like being put in a box.
What frustrates you in your professional life?
How disrespectful some people are of each other's time, for example by arriving at a meeting unprepared or late. Also, a kind of meeting diarrhoea has crept into society. Every text, email or chat has turned into ‘a quick video call’ all of a sudden. I think that’s bad.
What would you still like to achieve?
I’m very ambitious. It’s my strength and my pitfall. For now, my main ambition is to get better at what I’m doing. All other goals are a byproduct of ‘simply working as hard as you can’.
Fiction or non-fiction?
Both, but I do read more non-fiction.
Working from home or at the office?
Combining both is ideal.
Julien De Wit is the author of Ge(e)neratie (2023), which calls for a society in which young people are more involved in the issues of our time. Earlier this year, he also wrote (On)zeker, in which he fights back against defeatism.