IHK graduation ceremony - Interview with one of the best exam candidates

Hey, I'm Fabian. I'm 23 years old and I'm currently in the 5th semester of a dual study program in business administration with integrated training as an e-commerce specialist in cooperation with Hof University of Applied Sciences. During my apprenticeship at BAUR, I have already been able to gain in-depth insights into departments such as Shop & Sales, Customer Centricity, Online Marketing and Information Security.
In my free time, I am mainly active in sports and, in addition to regular bike tours, I like to work out in the gym.

This year's graduation ceremony once again took place in a festive setting at Kloster Banz. After a warm welcome from Michael Möslein, Deputy Chairman of the Lichtenfels Chamber of Industry and Commerce Committee, and District Administrator Christian Meißner, our trainee representatives gave a short speech in which they looked back on their time together as trainees. This was followed by the presentation of certificates for the 119 graduates.
After the official part of the ceremony, there was a short photo shoot with Max and we chatted about our time together over delicious snacks and drinks.
The ceremony was a special experience for me, as I had never been to Kloster Banz before. There was one special moment during the graduation ceremony that I will always remember. When my fellow trainees handed over their certificates, I remembered our first moments and conversations together at the b.welcome days and was amazed at how quickly the three years of training together had passed.

I think a big aspect that I am very grateful for is that I enjoy learning and growing with new tasks. That made preparing for the final exam a lot easier.
At the same time, our teachers were also a big factor, because they tried to prepare us for this situation in the best possible way with unconditional dedication (and sometimes with the odd extra hour).

To prepare for the exam, I made a conscious decision to take the train from Bayreuth to Lichtenfels instead of driving to the vocational school. I was able to use these two hours a day productively to prepare. Nevertheless, the learning effort was very high because I had to study for a full year on my own due to my absence from university. However, thanks to our hard-working former trainees and dual students, we had some great summaries to help us prepare for the exam.

For me, graduating as one of the best in my exams is mainly a confirmation of my great interest in e-commerce. In itself, I simply see the degree as part of my journey towards my bachelor's degree and as another milestone that motivates me to continue.

My whole family was very proud and immediately invited me to dinner. 😊

For me personally, it was a great challenge to familiarize myself with the complex structures and interrelationships, especially in the first few months at BAUR. However, with increasing experience and departmental assignments, an important "piece of the puzzle" is added each time, so that the overall context becomes clearer and clearer.

What I noticed again and again when talking to other trainees from other companies at vocational school is that we have an incredibly great company dynamic. You feel like part of a big family, not just among us trainees, but throughout the company. This appreciation is the best experience I've had.

I am currently working hard on my modules in my 5th semester at the university. For the time being, my focus is entirely on completing my Bachelor's degree successfully. I'm excited to see what the future holds for me!

Trust in yourself. No matter how powerful a challenge seems, the only thing that matters is that you keep going consistently and believe in your abilities.

I would like to thank all the training officers and all the teachers. Your explanations and support made it possible for us to combine vocational school theory with valuable practical experience.