Many young people do not know what profession they want to choose. Student ambassadors offer guidance. One of them: THWS student Konstantin Schaab. He explains why his degree programme Business Information Systems equips him perfectly for the future. An interview with the 25-year-old.
Published on 02 August 2023
Konstantin Schaab is just returning from a campus tour for prospective students. The 25-year-old showed the THWS campus at Sanderheinrichsleitenweg to Gymnasium graduates. What question he heard most? "If modules will take place on campus again, and if there will be a real student life", he says laughing. Schaab is 1.90 metres tall, wears glasses. a striped t-shirt, jeans, and sandals. His ginger-blond hair is short. A black laptop bag is hanging over his right shoulder.
We meet Schaab on the third floor of the THWS building. Here, in the study corner with the colourful cushions, he had sat frequently in his first semester together with his fellow students and talked. He could complete his first semester on campus. "This was lucky because otherwise I would not have gotten to know anybody", he says.
His subsequent student life was strongly impaired by the pandemic. From his second semester, all modules in the Business Information Systems programme took place online. The pandemic restrictions might be long gone, however, not everything has gone back to the way it used to be. "Some professors have continued offering their lectures online", Schaab says. This came with advantages and disadvantages. Schaab is in favour of a combination of lectures in person and remote teaching, with a focus on on-site courses. "Here on campus totally different ideas arise when students have the opportunity to put their heads together and brainstorm", Schaab explains. "To me, that is what characterises a degree programme."
Originally, Schaab is from the Rhön region, from Schönderling in the district of Bad Kissingen to be more precise, which is about 70 kilometres from Würzburg. His father works in Würzburg, many of his relatives live in the area. "That way I have already gotten to know Würzburg and its many nice places", he says. If he would choose THWS again? "Yes, definitely."
The 25-year-old is currently in his eighth and thus last semester of his studies and is completing his bachelor's thesis on tracking systems of SAP/EWM, a module for administering logistic processes. He enjoys spending his free time with friends. How they would describe him? "Communicative, ambitious, and sociable", Schaab says. These are also characteristics required of a student ambassador. Exchanging with others is what he enjoys most about his job. "I can approach young people on their career paths at a point where I once stood myself", he says.
His path of becoming a student ambassador
How and why has Schaab become a student ambassador? "THWS was looking for helping hands for introducing the first-semester students", he remembers. Schaab volunteered. Vice Dean Professor Dr. Eva Wedlich from the Faculty of Computer Science and Business Information Systems then asked him whether he also wanted to act as student ambassador. Schaab agreed. Because he knows himself how lost students can often feel.
After completing his higher education entrance qualification, the Abitur, in 2017, the then 18-year-old did not know what profession to pursue. "Like almost anybody this age, I felt quite lost", he says and laughs. He started working with an acquaintance in the construction and surveying sector for a year. What he liked about this in particular? "Being on the way, getting to know new places, and tackling the challenges, every building holds", says he. Here, he also discovered his passion for economics. He thus decided to start an apprenticeship as industrial clerk. After the two-year apprenticeship, he continued working in the company for another three months before starting his bachelor's studies at THWS.
Artificial intelligence is gaining more and more significance
After his apprenticeship Schaab did not have the feeling of having developed enough knowledge. "I wanted to expand my knowledge to stay attractive on the job market in the long run", he says. He is certain that the two major fields of economics and computer science will continue to merge. "One does not work without the other. Only through combining these two fields, one can stay competitive", he emphasises. Trends like ChatGPT have a huge potential in his eyes. "I am convinced that artificial intelligence will become a regular part of our lives." Being able to competently use AI was thus essential. "It will not replace the human, but it will be a tool", he points out.
His wish? Actively shaping the future. He would be able to do so due to this innovative degree programme. He could already put his entrepreneurial spirit to the test in a study project in third semester. In the module on innovation management and entrepreneurship, Schaab together with four fellow students created a fictious company that enabled CO2-neutral travels. "Because we all love to travel but also care strongly about the environnment", he explains. Among his friends, flight shame would be no alien concept, he says and laughs. Often, he and his friends would jokingly harass each other if someone took a flight for a short trip. "What? You are taking a plan to go on holidays again? Well, that is not good for the environment, we used to say", Schaab relates.
His best travels so far were to Norway. He completed his six-month internship semester there. SSI-Schäfer, the German company he worked at then, supervised a project in the Scandinavian country – to Schaab this was the perfect chance to put his theoretical knowledge into practice.
Combining economics and computer science
In retrospect, he would again immediately decide to study business information systems, he says. Computer science and digitisation are, in his opinion, gaining more and more importance. That is why he wanted to combine these two topic areas. What he particularly likes about his studies at THWS? "The high practical relevance." He thus feels perfectly equipped to enter working life.
He regularly met other student ambassadors at study and vocation fairs, and at schools. "Afterwards, we usually go to a pizza place, or have a drink by the Main to finish off the evening", he says. He intended to continue this job during his master's studies. He also wanted to do his master's in Digital Business Systems at THWS from the winter semester 2023/24. Then, all doors would be open to him – on the job market, but also as freelancer. If he can imagine starting his own business one day? "Yes! Given the right idea, and the right team."
What are student ambassadors?
Student ambassadors publicly represent their degree programme and their higher education institution. They inform potential students about the study offers, about campus, student life, and other relevant aspects of their degree programme and around studying. Student ambassadors are students themselves who are thus able to share first-hand experiences. His responsibilities range from giving campus tours and visiting schools to involvement at vocational fairs and information events. At THWS, some other degree programmes also have a student ambassador.
Interested people can inquire for student ambassadors for specific programmes www.thws.de/studieninteressierte/meet-a-student/.