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How I Met My Job – Our colleague Christian tells us how he came to his current job as an IT analyst at Babtec via a dual study program. He also reveals what advantages he sees in studying dually, what his greatest learnings were, and what advice he has for those considering a dual study program.
My name is Christian and since 2021 I work as an IT analyst at Babtec. From 2018 to 2021, I worked as a dual student of business informatics at the Wuppertal-based software company, where I was able to gain valuable job experience parallel to my studies. In this story, I will tell you how I evolved from a doubting science student to an all-around happy IT professional through my dual studies.
At the beginning of my story there is a science degree program that I had been studying for several years before I finally admitted to myself: it’s not for me. At that moment, the great search began: what do I want to do? During this time, I was at various career fairs and had close contact with the German Federal Employment Agency.
I was particularly impressed by informatics as a potential field of work, because on the one hand it is a future-oriented, secure industry in which you can earn really good money, and on the other hand the subject matches my interests. I have always enjoyed working on the computer and already took my PC apart as a child.
Once the destination was decided, I applied to various companies in the region for an apprenticeship. I had several acceptances, but Babtec's response was by far the best: here, I was not only offered the apprenticeship, but even a dual study program! I gratefully accepted the offer. Before I started my studies, I did a two-month internship at Babtec, because I already wanted to get to know the company and gain first practical experience.
“Taking part in a dual study program was one of the best decisions I ever made.”
Christian
And then it all began: In October 2018, I started my first semester of business informatics with a focus on IT consulting at the University of Applied Sciences for Business (FHDW) in Mettmann. Babtec paid the tuition fees for me. I enjoyed the studies thoroughly and felt I was in good hands from day one. The big advantage of private universities: For the professors, you are not just another student number, but a name. I could always turn to someone with questions and so a steep learning curve began.
In my practical phases, it was very cool that I was allowed to take responsibility for my own projects right from the start. For example, I wrote a program to digitize our coffee list (at that time, we still paid for coffee, now we get coffee and water for free). Babtec gave me the responsibility for all the steps from the initial planning to the finished digital coffee list. I independently took care of design, coding, database maintenance and hardware procurement. Through the project, I gained both frontend and backend experience and grew from it enormously professionally.
Usually, you get to know different departments during a dual study program. But I was fortunate to be able to stay in the IT department for the entire time. Normally, software development or our customizing and project teams are the departments that are particularly suitable for a dual study program in business informatics or computer science. For me, however, the IT team was the perfect place because it became clear to me at an early stage that this was exactly where I wanted to gain a foothold in my career.
At the time, I still remembered how bad it had felt in my first degree program to study something that did not really suit me. During my dual studies at the FHDW, I was able to really enjoy finally being completely happy with my choice of study! The fun of the subject, the first-class working atmosphere at Babtec and the prospect of my degree have constantly motivated me to give my best – even in challenging phases.
My fellow students and I were each able to complete our studies in the standard period of study. That is another advantage of a dual study program: If you enjoy the subject, attend classes regularly and prepare properly for the exams, you can realistically complete your degree in the standard study period because the system of study is well thought out. This is often more difficult at state universities because courses overlap, or the number of participants is limited.
Even before I had my degree completed, we prepared my transfer to the company and before I finished my studies, we already had my new contract set up. So, I started seamlessly into employment after graduation.
Since 2021, I am an IT analyst in the same IT department that I got to know during my studies. My job is highly multifaceted! For example, my work includes ticket processing via the internal IT help desk. If a team member has a problem with the technology, my team and I are quickly on the spot. This gives me a lot of pleasure, as I really enjoy the contact with my colleagues while finding solutions. Apart from that, I support, for example, (live) streams in the film studio and CRM implementations, write programs for the inventory, manage smartphones and contracts and optimize internal company processes. Every day is different, I can simultaneously use my existing knowledge and learn something new every day!
I think my team is awesome. Every now and then we go out for a beer after work, and at work we get along really well on a personal level. Many of us have the same interests, such as gaming.
For my dream of a management position, I am still studying the part-time master's degree in "IT Management and Information Systems" at the FHDW Mettmann on my own. Studying alongside a full-time job is sometimes quite challenging, but extremely promising!
Do you have any questions about your application or a dual study program at Babtec? Our Recruiting Manager Alina Ziehn is looking forward to hearing from you!
Alina Ziehn
People & Culture
Phone: +49 202 4960-177
e-mail: ziehn@babtec.de
