Arnold Bittner, M.Eng.

During my time at school, despite my interest in technology, I couldn't imagine studying engineering and was more inclined towards psychology. Accordingly, I opted out of physics in tenth grade and only took maths at basic level in my Abitur (university entrance qualification).
After leaving school, I decided to do a nine-month practical training programme at a boarding school in Ireland to avoid stumbling straight into university, gain life experience, improve my language skills and, above all, mature my choice of study. This time was very important for me personally, but also for my choice of degree programme, and I recommend that every high school graduate gain experience outside the education sector before starting their studies.

In Ireland, I then devoted myself to a very detailed search for the right degree programme for me. From degree programme descriptions to personality tests and aptitude tests, I used all available sources. In my opinion, however, the decisive criterion should be the future job profile. Of course, it is also important that you enjoy your studies and a realistic assessment of your own abilities is also necessary. However, you spend the majority of your life at work and not in the lecture theatre. In my opinion, you should therefore ask yourself the question "What do I want to do later?" rather than "What do I want to study?".

As I enjoy interacting with people, I answered this question for myself at the time by saying that I would like to pursue a career in which interpersonal relationships play a central role, but which is nevertheless directly related to business. The description of the possible fields of activity of an industrial engineer was best suited to these wishes. This is because industrial engineers are often used as an interface between these two worlds due to their double-edged training, which includes both technical and business content. In addition to sound technical knowledge from both faculties, this job requires soft skills in the field of communication and often also management knowledge.

Due to the lack of a foundation from my school days, I found studying very difficult at the beginning, especially in the technical-mathematical area. The basic subjects such as physics, maths and technical mechanics in the first semesters in particular require a lot of discipline and perseverance. Over time, however, you find your personal learning style - alone or in study groups, at home or in the Library, continuously or all at once - and learn to deal with the pressure.

I find the alternation between technical content from mechanical engineering and content from the field of business management on the Engineering Management degree programme extremely pleasant and interesting. The modules range from electrical engineering to finance and marketing. Despite the occasional prejudices against combined degree programmes, I feel very well trained and only inferior in some areas to my fellow students who are studying either business or mechanical engineering.

In the third semester, I chose the area of specialisation Technical Sales, in line with my desire for a career with a lot of contact with people. This specialisation is only partially different from Engineering Management and opens up insights into the areas of technical marketing and technical sales. The communication and negotiation module is also part of this area of specialisation and is designed to promote the necessary soft skills in this field. Thanks to the large number of lectures and seminars held at FH Aachen by people from the business world, I was able to gain a deep insight into the business world during my studies.

In combination with the extensive theoretical knowledge and the subsequent Master's programme in Product Development, this prepared me very well for my current job as a product manager at the automotive supplier MAHLE.