What did you study at undergraduate level and when did you graduate? What are you studying now? Are you studying and working at the same time?
My current job title is Software Engineer. I did a Master's (5 years) in Computer Science and Engineering majoring in logistics, manufacturing engineering and application systems in Germany. Now, I just finished my Master of Engineering Science (Mechanical Engineering) at USQ. I always worked (20h) during my studies.
What have been the most important stages of your life?
Certificate of Computer Science which was a two-year educational training. After that, I worked as a Software Developer. Then I did a Master's (5 years) in Computer Science and Engineering majoring in logistics, manufacturing engineering and application systems. After that, I did two years of work and travel. Followed by one year working as an IT consultant. Then I worked as a Research Associate. After that, I worked for three years as a Software Engineer during this time I did study Master of Engineering Science (Mechanical Engineering) at USQ.
How did you get to your current (or most recent) job position and how long have you been working there?
Currently, I am not working but actively looking for a job.
What made you decide to progress with further study?
I always had an interest in mechanic and applied for IT jobs in robotics. During the interviews, they always explained that I had a lack of theoretical mechanical knowledge. This was the main driver for me to enrol in a master of mechanical engineering. I hoped that this will increase my chance of getting a cross-discipline job position in IT/mechanic.
How did you choose your particular further study course (compared to others)? / Were you weighing up any alternative degrees or career pathways before choosing this qualification?
I also looked into a Master of Business Administration but out of visa requirements, I decided against it and chose the Master of Engineering Science (Mechanical Engineering) at USQ which is on the Australia Skilled Occupation List. Furthermore, it allows me to apply for a two-year work visa at the completion of my degree.
What was the process to get accepted into your course? What were the prerequisites?
I applied for an Internation Studen out of Germany. There is a German organisation which is helping Germans to study abroad and they basically do everything that is needed to apply and get accepted. I just had to provide the documents and enough TOEFL points (proof of English). To do a Master I had to be a postgrad and they accepted my German Master's.
What does your study involve? Can you describe a typical day? (if it’s difficult to describe a typical day, tell us about the last thing you worked on?)
I normally went early to uni to do some study on my own. After that, I attended the required courses. Most lectures were not very helpful for me so that I normally prefer to study on my own or in smaller learning groups. I usually tried to leave the university early afternoon so that I could go to work which I needed to do to finance my study.
Will this course be beneficial in your career? Where could you or others in your position go from here? Please explain your answer.
I think the course was beneficial because it improved my English and understanding of the Australian education system. However, I did not learn much which I could theoretically knowledge about engineering what I was hoping to learn. If I could decide again I would pick a Master of Business Administration.
What do you love the most about your course?
There was not much what I really liked. Compared to my German study, I really enjoyed that the University had a bigger budget for student equipment. All lectures were always recorded and were accessible online. This helped me to study on my own because I could see lectures four times speed or pause on difficult parts.
What are the limitations of your course?
To me, it seemed that the course was very easy. Compared to my Master's from Germany, this Master's on the USQ was very focused on writing assignments. For me, it was lacking in theoretical knowledge. Writing assignments about non-theoretical engineering knowledge is not what I was expecting and I don't think it is helpful for my future career.
Which three pieces of advice would you give to a current undergraduate student? They don’t necessarily have to be related to your studies, or even to one’s professional life.
The first and most important one is, that they should know what later want to work as. I think is important to understand what a study can actually be used for. Some studies are very interesting but the actual job you get afterwards might not be. The second is it might make sense just working for a while after finishing undergraduate study to get an idea of how a workplace works. And the last one is asking if the study is needed and it can be done any time later.