Dual study program at BAUR - an interview with Moritz

My original plan was to do an apprenticeship at Baur. However, once places for the dual study program became available and I was offered one, I was quickly very happy with my decision. With a degree in such a field, I have a lot of options when I eventually look for a job. The dual study program doesn't offer as much free time as a normal course of study, but at the end of the day you have the great advantage of gaining a lot of company experience during your apprenticeship years. The whole thing doesn't necessarily have to be technical, but just knowing how things work in a company can be useful.

I'm happy with the position I've found at Baur and how things are currently going in my department. If I had to go through this phase again, I would write more applications and keep my options open. On the whole, I would probably make the same decision again.

During the practical phases, I mainly work from home. My day starts at around 7:30 a.m. with my morning routine, so I'm usually at my desk by 8:00 a.m.. I use this time to prepare for the working day and see what's new. Our daily meetings start at 8:30 a.m., where we make arrangements and plans within the team. I then work on incidents, service requests or change requests, provided there are no other meetings. Every Tuesday, my team meets in the office in Burgkunstadt to hold meetings, appointments and training sessions on site.

During the theoretical phases at the university, the days are slightly different. Lectures usually start at 9:00 am and end at 4:15 pm. The content ranges from "Artificial intelligence and machine learning" to "Data-based corporate management" and "Cloud computing and big data". Depending on the timetable, lectures may only take place in the mornings or afternoons - in rare cases, classes may be canceled completely. Our cohort currently comprises around 40 students, who are taught in two courses. Depending on the lecturer, the courses are often school-like and allow for close interaction with the lecturers. Thanks to the student council and the "MKElern" (students on the Media, Communication and Event Management course), student life is not neglected either.

The three-month alternation between theory and practice offers the advantage that I have usually already completed all the exams on the content covered by the time I return from Ravensburg. This allows me to concentrate on practical application during the practical phase and gain experience in everyday working life. This allows me to keep learning and working separate and leaves me time for leisure.

I had a lot of fun with my project work. This involves implementing a project in the company and writing a paper about it, which you then submit to the university for assessment. My project was a program for visualizing status graphs for devices that are used in our warehouses.

The housing market in Ravensburg is flooded with students. You can expect to pay €400 or more for a small room in a shared flat. Look for apartments as early as possible or make connections with others who are already there.
Mathematics subjects are tough, so prepare well for them.
It's better to study properly once, otherwise you'll study twice.

• Demanding
• Confusing
• Fun