Yes, starting in entry-level warehouse work can lead to a supply chain office role, especially with your MSc in Sustainability. Many logistics professionals begin on the warehouse floor and move into planning, coordination, or management over time. Your degree gives you a strong analytical edge, but you'll need to gain practical operations experience first.
Here's how the typical path works: Warehouse roles like order picker, forklift operator, or inventory clerk teach you the physical flow of goods, systems (like WMS), and team coordination. After 6-12 months, you can apply for internal promotions to roles like warehouse supervisor, logistics coordinator, or supply chain analyst. Companies often prefer promoting from within because you already understand their operations. Your MSc will help you stand out for these higher-level roles, especially if you highlight your data analysis and process improvement skills.
Honest tradeoffs: Entry-level warehouse work is physically demanding, often shift-based, and pays near minimum wage (around EUR 14-16 per hour in 2025). You may feel overqualified initially. However, it's a direct way to get your foot in the door with logistics employers who value operational experience. The biggest risk is getting stuck if the company has limited upward mobility. To avoid this, choose employers with clear career development paths, like large distribution centers or logistics service providers that offer training programs.
Concrete next steps: 1) Target warehouse roles at companies with supply chain headquarters or large logistics operations in the Netherlands (e.g., major retailers, 3PLs, or manufacturing firms). 2) During interviews, emphasize your MSc in Sustainability and interest in combining logistics with green supply chains. 3) Once hired, proactively ask about cross-training in office tasks like transport planning or inventory management. 4) Continue improving your Dutch to B2 level for office communication; many warehouse teams use English, but promotion to management often requires Dutch. 5) After 1-2 years, apply for junior supply chain coordinator or logistics analyst roles internally or externally.
Your plan is realistic if you're patient and strategic. The sustainability angle is a growing niche in logistics, so your MSc will become more valuable as you move up. Start with warehouse work, learn the operations, and then leverage your degree for a desk job combining both fields.