The last semester was something special for Robin Graf, a media and business psychology (study program only in german) student at the Frankfurt campus, and not just because of distance learning. After his internship at the big player Ferrero, he now has a permanent position at the start-up myPension.
You are currently in the last semester and writing your bachelor’s thesis. How do you perceive the online semester?
At first, I was unsure whether an online semester could work at all. However, I quickly realized that digital teaching was not a problem. Our lecturers adapted their lectures accordingly and so we were actually able to get the most out of it. In addition, the commute to university was no longer necessary, which meant less effort. Of course, face-to-face lectures would have been more suitable for practical subjects, but I don’t think anyone can complain in this situation. Overall, I was able to live with it very well, but I would have liked to have seen everyone again, especially in the last semester.
You completed your mandatory internship in product management at Ferrero Küsschen. What were your tasks there and which subjects did you cover in your studies?
It was an educational and great experience. It was really interesting to get to know the workflows of one of the largest confectionery manufacturers in the world. My tasks there were very broad and ranged from the development of packaging to various promotional activities, market research and competition analysis. On top of that, I worked on various brand-related projects.
Looking back after my internship, I was able to see how it was linked to my studies. Since we worked quite analytically in the B.A. Media and Business Psychology program, I was able to apply my knowledge well in market research and reporting. Of course, modules such as “Strategic Marketing” and all psychological modules also helped me, since the focus in this industry is always on understanding consumers.
Since there is still no general understanding of how important this topic is, it poses a particular challenge in terms of marketing, but that also makes it all the more interesting.
Felix Klügling
You are currently working as a student trainee at the insurtech start-up myPension. How did you end up there and what was it like starting as a student trainee in the age of the home office?
After my time in a large corporation, I wanted to get to know what it was like to work in a start-up. I came across myPension through an interesting job description on LinkedIn and after a really pleasant interview, I wanted to take the chance. MyPension is a digital pension plan based on ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), which allows you to flexibly manage your pension plan via an app. This means that it can be adapted to your current life situation and not the other way around. Since there is still a lack of general understanding of how important this topic is, this is particularly challenging from a marketing perspective, but it also makes it all the more interesting.
Since I started my job during the first Covid-19 wave, my onboarding was done online. Although it takes some getting used to spending the first few weeks in a new team at home, myPension is well equipped for this. At times we were in the office thanks to a hygiene concept, but we are currently working with a hybrid model that works really well.
What are your professional plans for the future?
I will be taking on a full-time role as Marketing Manager at myPension in the new year and I am very happy to have this opportunity and to be able to continue working with my team. As a working student, I have already received a lot of trust from my superiors, so I was keen to stay there. I hope that I can play my part in continuing to shape the future of myPension in a positive way.
