You graduated from the Rüsselsheim campus in 1973. What happened next for you?

After my studies, I did my 15-month military service on board a destroyer (submarine detection / sonar technology) with the German Navy from October 1973 to December 1974. This was followed by 37 years with various jobs at Deutsche Lufthansa / EDP in Frankfurt.

How do you explain to five-year-olds what you did as a planning engineer / EDP?

There used to be different ways of getting messages from one place to another, for example carrier pigeons, horses and messengers. My job was to help ensure that messages could be delivered safely anywhere in the world using technology and without animals or people.

What experience from your semesters studied is in your personal treasure chest of memories?

There are two very special memories where I still know the exact dates of the trip: firstly, the Black Forest hike from Pforzheim to Freiburg with three fellow students. We walked the 300-kilometre route for 15 days in September 1971.
The second experience followed a year later: a road trip, as we would say today: We drove through Scandinavia by car, a whole 9,500 kilometers. We set off on a Monday in mid-July and only returned five and a half weeks later. On a Wednesday.

Looking back, was there a course that you found particularly helpful?

It was the combination of different courses that were very helpful. This made it clear to me which professional direction I wanted to take (project management IT systems and networks), but also which one I didn't want to take (research and development, laboratory, software).

Looking back, what would you do differently with regard to your career?

Not too much. However, looking back, I would place more emphasis on developing my foreign language skills – I didn't make the most of this opportunity despite the many international business trips. And play golf for a better network ;-)

Which lecturers at Hochschule RheinMain have influenced you?

All of them, but mainly the lecturers Brauer, Klutke, Lertes and Volkmann. Mr. Klutke's lectures were always Bible-based and very philosophical – simply divine ;-)