What comes to mind when you think about your studies at HMKW?
The project week - probably the most challenging, work-intensive but also most exciting time at HMKW. Without the cream cheese bagels from the cafeteria on the 4th floor, the whole experience would certainly not have been so successful (an absolute recommendation!).
You acquired a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Corporate Communications at HMKW Berlin. What is your current job position?
I am currently working in the public relations team of a major international corporation. My main tasks here include positioning the management in the perception of the public, the digital strategic orientation and the use of all relevant communication channels. In addition, I am completing my master's degree at the Technical University in the field of "Digital Media and Communication Cultures".
Did you get any further work experiences prior to your current position that you would like to share with us?
A colourful mixture of topics, challenges and people: this is probably the best way to describe my professional career to this day. Because if there is one thing I want to avoid, it is standing still. For this reason, it was a great experience for me to both immerse myself in the start-up culture of an e-learning provider (yes, there was a table football) and to go through the much stricter hierarchical levels of a large publishing house. What did I like better? Not easy to say! But probably it was this very combination of different work situations that led me to a completely new path in the meantime: self-employment.
When did you figure out your preferred career path? How much was your choice influenced by the compulsory internship?
At the beginning of my studies it was clear to me: I will become a journalist! At first there was nothing to question this decision. But the deeper I dived into the field of corporate communications, the more it became apparent: I have to try it! And that's what I did, in my mandatory internship. But much more important was the realization that you don't necessarily have to make a fundamental decision between the two disciplines. My current profession, for example, unites both worlds.
Why did you decide to study “Journalism and Corporate Communications”? And what made you choose HMKW Berlin?
Let us take a little time travel into the year 2012. I graduated from high school, but what next? Suddenly every family member had a concrete idea of which would be the "right", the "reasonable" way for me. I wanted only one thing: to write. While in childhood it was still stories about mythical creatures, as a young adult I increasingly observed the everyday adventures and put them down on paper. After graduating from school, I plunged into the editorial hustle and bustle of a daily newspaper for half a year. At this point at the latest, my wish to study was clear. But if you look for the practical side (which is essential especially in a journalistic context), you won't find it at most German universities. That is why I decided straight away to study at HMKW.
Which contents of your studies are part of your current job? How do your studies help you in your work routine?
Above all, the ability to develop integrated strategies that include not only individual measures, but also complex approaches to solutions, is a key task of my work. Regardless of my current job, I have already been able to benefit from this in various areas.
