Aha moments in Kiel

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Tabea has decided to study for a dual degree at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems in order for lectures to become regular aha experiences. Here she not only has the opportunity to combine theory and practice, but can also enjoy the Kiel sea air on a daily basis.

A good combination

For Tabea, the combination of theory and practice is the biggest advantage of an integrated degree program. “It means lectures become one big aha experience. But of course I also benefit from the broad specialist knowledge we acquire during our studies,” says the 19-year-old student, who is in her fourth semester at the Nordakademie in Elmshorn studying industrial engineering. Although born near Wolfsburg in Lower Saxony she has had links with Germany’s coastal regions since her earliest youth thanks to her hobby of swimming with the German lifesaving society DLRG. So it wasn’t too difficult for her to leave home and go to Kiel after graduating from high school in 2017.

A secure perspective thanks to professional experience

In her first two years there she has already gained a great deal of work experience and knows what to expect in her future professional life, sparing her the “dreaded” reality shock. Tabea is naturally also happy about the full employment contract with thyssenkrupp that she already has in her pocket. If everything goes according to plan, she will join the company as a full-time employee in March 2021. She is currently one of nine students in her semester who have chosen to start their career at thyssenkrupp Marine Systems through the integrated degree program, during which students alternate between theoretical and practical learning units, ten weeks in the lecture hall followed by a roughly three-month practical spell with the company.

Internationally promoted

With financial support from thyssenkrupp she will spend her fifth semester in Concepciòn, Chile, where she will study economics. “The program runs to a tight schedule, so it’s not always easy to balance everything: boyfriend, family and studying,” says Tabea. “That was the biggest difference from school to university for me. You definitely need to be good at time management”. Now Tabea is looking forward to her semester abroad at the partner university, which is located directly by the sea. “It’s brilliant. I love the water so I’ll be able to combine my hobby and studies perfectly.”