Afbeelding
“My degree and time at NHL Stenden definitely played a big role in shaping me. I developed far more of a sense of self-awareness and self-esteem. Having that confidence in yourself really helps you be able to seize opportunities when they arise. For me, it also helped me realise that sometimes you have to ask for an opportunity and take the initiative yourself. There's an expression in German “Jeder ist seines Glückes Schmied”, everyone is their own luck smith, which basically means you shape your own destiny. I think it's very true. If you want to do something, go for it. If you're not trained or experienced then that might be something you have to work on, but don't let it hold you back. Find out where the gaps are and work on filling those gaps.”
Making things work
“In that respect, NHL Stenden prepared me for the labour market by helping me fill in the gaps with knowledge and practical experience. Working on team assignments is a great learning curve. You have to do everything together and no matter how well or badly things go, there's no way round it: the work has to get done and you have to get along. It's like trying to get different puzzle pieces to fit together. And then without even realising it, you learn how to make a team work.”
Plug-and-play
“The other aspect that made a difference in shaping me was my internship. It's funny that I was so keen to study abroad I moved to the Netherlands from Germany, but then ended up doing my internship in the town where I was born, Stuttgart. First, I worked in campaign development and content creation in in the marketing department at Mercedes-Benz, so I was working on all kinds of advertising, like tv ads and print ads. Then, I worked in social media management where my work included copywriting for the Mercedes-Benz instagram account. It gave me a great foundation that meant when I graduated, I felt I was better prepared for a career than other people were. I felt much more, and maybe it's not a very human-centred term but it hits the mark, I felt really plug-and-play.”
Follow your own path
“I started studying creative business because I wanted to work in the music industry. I didn't think I was particularly creative but I knew I wanted to study abroad and work with internationals in an international environment. At the time, I was thinking I wanted a career as tour manager or artist relations manager. I'd spent a gap year in Australia and worked at a huge electronic dance music festival which was an incredible experience. As this kind of music is popular in the Netherlands, I decided that was the place to study. My path has obviously gone in a completely different direction and I have no regrets. It is what it is. I've made huge personal developments, I love my job and I love cars. And who knows what the future has in store?”
“It's been full of surprises so far. I've come back to where I was born. I'm working in motorsport, not music. And I did a master's degree which I never thought I would. My boss at Mercedes AMG actually encouraged me to do it and it was a way for me to get my foot in the door at Mercedes-AMG. I studied my master's while working full-time for the company, so it was a pretty intensive period. But there's a really good work ethic, a healthy attitude and flat hierarchy, so it feels like real companionship working in a team. And there's a spirit behind AMG to challenge the status quo, act quickly and be very dynamic. There's pretty much not a single person in our department that I couldn't spend a weekend at the racetrack with – and we do spend a lot of weekends at the racetrack. I feel privileged to be able to travel to some great places for my work, see amazing things and get to experience the wild circus that is motorsport. I can quite honestly say, I live and breathe my work and although that might not always be the most healthy thing, I'm well aware that there are lots of other people who would give an arm and a leg for this job.”
To find out more about the programme, check out the Creative Business programme page or request the programme brochure.