You had already successfully completed a bachelor’s and master’s degree programme before you began the Media Informatics program. Why did you decide to pursue this additional degree?
To answer that question, I need to go back a bit, because there are several factors at play. I’d always wanted to do something related to Japanese, but I didn’t want to focus solely on the language during my studies because I felt the job prospects were too uncertain. I then enrolled in the bachelor’s program in Modern East Asian Studies at the University of Duisburg-Essen because I found the combination with economics both practical and interesting. This program includes a mandatory year abroad, and naturally, you go to the country where the language you’re learning is spoken, so I flew to Japan. You had to decide whether to do a volunteer project for a few weeks or work, and I chose to work because I found that experience more meaningful for me. During that time, I realized that it wasn’t for me—not the language or the country, but rather the Japanese work culture, which probably wouldn’t make me happy in the long run.
So I thought about what I could do instead and what I enjoy. I really like playing video games and thought maybe the gaming industry would be a good fit for me. But for that, you need computer science, and pure computer science sounded pretty tough. So I looked to see if I could find something that lies somewhere between computer science and this media/gaming aspect, and I found two options. The option to study Media Informatics in Kamp-Lintfort was great for me because of its proximity to where I live, which is why I ultimately decided on it. I figured I still had a few years to learn something new, and my family supported me in that, so that’s how I ended up in Media Informatics. It worked out pretty well, I’d say.
What was the topic of your bachelor’s thesis?
The title is “Deep Learning and Neural Networks in the Context of Japanese Handwriting Recognition.” So in my bachelor’s thesis, I combined familiar concepts with a new and exciting research question.
How did you find your first job?
In the sixth semester, we have the internship semester, and in the semester before that, we took the Web Development module with Professor Richter. In that module, we already worked with companies in small groups and developed something together with a firm. The company my group worked for was adesso. After that module, adesso asked me if I’d like to do my internship there. I gladly accepted the offer. Afterward, I continued working as a student employee and was hired as a full-time employee after I graduated.
What is your typical workday like?
Depending on whether I’m working from home or in the office: I get up, turn on my computer, and ideally I have tickets to work on. Then I do a lot of programming, discuss current issues with colleagues, and tinker with things. Most tasks require solution-oriented thinking. Of course, a half-hour or hour-long lunch break is part of the routine, and then I get back to work. I like to start early so I don’t finish too late.
adesso acts as an IT service provider for other companies that turn to us when they have problems, for example, if they don’t have their own IT department. So the work is always project-based for another company, and we work in teams from different departments with specialists in a wide variety of fields.
What skills did you acquire during your studies that you can put to good use in your career today?
The number one core skill is, of course, web development. That’s my daily work now, and I learned it primarily during my time at university. I found programming incredibly complex at first, but then something clicked during my studies, and suddenly it all made sense.
I had already picked up skills like analytical thinking, problem-solving, and so on from my previous degree programs, but those were naturally deepened during my studies in media informatics because the tasks were completely different.
What advice would you give to current or future students?
I have three tips:
No. 1: Please make sure to arrive on time—or not at all—for Professor Greveler’s lectures 😊
No. 2: You should definitely work on personal projects where you program—and thus practice and learn things you might have covered in lectures—or simply explore patterns, best practices, and topics like clean code, which you might not necessarily learn in college but are super important in the professional world. That was my lesson, because I didn’t do that during my studies.
No. 3: Ideally, you should apply for a work-study position in the field. This is really important because you learn a lot from it, and in my opinion, it also makes it easier to start your career. It was only because I had already completed my internship and work-study program at adesso beforehand that I was able to start directly as a full-time software developer. Usually, there’s often an intermediate step, and depending on how much professional experience you have, you might have to complete a one-year trainee program. In the end, I realized too late just how important that work-study program is—you earn money on the side, you gain experience, and it makes starting your career easier.
In three words, how would you describe Rhine-Waal University of Applied Sciences?
I’d like to keep my answer to this question a bit unconventional and use the three words “Zimmer best man.” The reason is that Professor Zimmer helped me a great deal during my studies. He not only supervised my bachelor’s thesis but was also a great person to talk to throughout the entire time; you could always have a great conversation with him if you had concerns or problems, and he always made time for meetings.
Date of interview: November 2023