Testimonials

Julian Jäger

M.A. Information Science (2016)

Product Owner

LinkedIn

Xing

Hello, I'm Julian and I currently work as a product owner.

I studied Information Science at the University of Regensburg. From 2010 to 2016, I first completed my Bachelor's degree in the subject combination with media informatics and finally my Master's degree.

I started my professional career during my Master's degree. From 2014 onwards, I worked as a working student for user experience 16 hours per week at a medium-sized company that developed a web platform for recruitment agencies and recruiters. Working closely with the developers, we developed the interface not only functionally, but also as intuitively and consistently as possible with the existing system. After completing my studies, I was taken on there full-time and in 2017 I took on additional product management tasks and then worked as a product owner (PO). In 2019, I was then allowed to gradually build up my own PO team. Due to company acquisitions, I was also interim PO in a new sister company in 2020. After just over 7 years, I took on a new challenge in 2022. To expand my repertoire, I took on a position as PO for mobile apps in the B2C business.

From my studies, the methods and know-how of usability engineering as well as programming skills helped me the most. Especially through the latter, I had the opportunity to communicate with the developers almost at eye level and was able to quickly earn their recognition. In more abstract terms, the breadth of the subject areas and the form of an interface degree helped me in my adaptability as a product owner. The scientific way of working still enables me to keep structure in the chaos of numerous feature requests and to critically question them. Finally, the many group works and projects have prepared me to organise and work on new topics again and again in new constellations of people.

Advice I would like to give to students:

•  Use the projects in your studies to develop not only yourselves in terms of content, but also in terms of organisation.
•  Try things out, actively ask if you want to try out a different role in a company (in my experience, this works quite well in medium-sized companies).

Maximilian

"I completed an internship as a Data Science Intern at Amazon UK during my Master's degree in Information Science. I worked as a Data Scientist in the 'Transport & Supply Chain UK' department during my internship. Roughly speaking, the department takes care of the supply chain for orders on the online retail website. The office is located in the heart of London, more precisely at 1 Principal Place in Shoreditch. The building was built around 2017 and counts as Amazon's headquarters in the UK. The team where I worked sits on the 11th floor, with everyone free to choose their seat. The team's job is to manage customers' orders in a way that guarantees the customer 'next day delivery', if possible.

There are various ways for Amazon to earn money via the trading platform. On the one hand, products are purchased themselves, such as a TV from Siemens. This is then stored in a fulfillment center and shipped as soon as it has been ordered. On the other hand, Amazon earns most of its money with FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon). This is a service from the company to receive goods from various merchants, store them and make sure they reach the customer on time. This part accounts for about 60-70% of the income in the online retail sector. The problem with this is that the company never knows exactly how many packages will be sent to the fulfillment centers by the merchants. So there must always be enough goods in the warehouses. However, not too much merchandise must arrive, otherwise certain parcels would no longer be able to be taken in. However, not too few goods must arrive either, because otherwise the workers in the warehouses have no work, which then has a bad effect on morale. Another difficulty is that, if possible, every product is available in every warehouse in order to be able to guarantee "next day delivery". This requires frequent stock transfers, and care is taken to ensure that every product is available in every "fulfillment center". In order to master all this, the superior team works with forecasts using historical data. This provides an overview of how much product is coming in, how much product can be processed by the workers in the warehouse, and how much product is leaving the warehouse.

My team focused on the forecasts of the incoming goods. The team consisted of about 8 young people. I would estimate the average age to be 26, which made for a very pleasant and familiar working atmosphere. The people in the team came from a wide variety of countries such as Italy, France, Sweden, China, Lebanon and of course England. During the internship, I was given the main task of creating models that would improve the prediction accuracy. In doing so, I was asked to incorporate other variables, such as the behavior of the suppliers (e.g. DPD) and to identify correlations. However, the first weeks consisted of understanding the complex and complicated processes. To do this, I took part in a great many meetings and, among other things, made a trip to a warehouse to get a better idea of the work steps. Afterwards, I concentrated fully on my project and was able to arrange my own working hours. The only important thing was that in the end I could present a project that offered added value. Secondary tasks consisted of managing the existing Github repository or helping other interns to get up to speed.

There were generally a lot of other interns employed in the office, which made it easy to socialize. The highlight so far was the Glamazon Pride event at the office with about 800 attendees, where the LGBTQ movement was celebrated extensively. In the end, the project worked out well and I was able to improve the prediction accuracy by 7% and the model is now being used in the "real" world across Europe.

I can say that doing an internship in London was the right step for me. The city as well as the working environment are perfect to learn new cultures, friends and skills. During my internship, I didn't have a day that I didn't enjoy going to work and in hindsight, I would have made the duration of the internship longer."

Complete report (in German): PDF

Dominik

"My name is Dominik and I studied information science at the University of Regensburg in both my Bachelor's and Master's degree. Already during my studies I tried to take many courses with a focus on data science and artificial intelligence. During my master's studies, I found a complementary working student position in the data science department of Syskron GmbH, a subsidiary of Krones AG. Following my studies, I was taken on as a data engineer and I am now happy to be part of the artificial intelligence department at Krones.digital. In this role, I work with many interesting colleagues from the fields of mechanical engineering, research and development, but also with our customers from the beverage industry to develop smart software solutions for the operation and maintenance of our lines. This involves many future-oriented aspects such as sustainability through predictive maintenance and intelligent control technology. I am glad that I was able to acquire many important methods and expertise through my studies in information science. My studies also gave me the opportunity to pursue many interdisciplinary issues. The combination of technical know-how and practical methodological knowledge turned out to be a very good preparation for my current job."

Antonius

"My name is Antonius. I studied Information Science in the Master's programme at the University of Regensburg and before that I completed my Bachelor's degree at the Department of Information Science in Potsdam. After graduating with my Master's degree in 2021, I was able to directly take up a permanent position as an officer at a state ministry in the department for digitisation. Among other things, I am responsible for the collection, analysis and visualisation of geodata. Thematically, this involves the public telecommunications infrastructure, for example fibre optic networks. When working with geodata, I am mainly concerned with identifying which data is needed, which data is already available, or which data needs to be newly collected, and how existing data can be merged and updated as automatically as possible. I am also working on the conception of a web application that presents the state funding projects in connection with fibre optic expansion. Here, I work together with colleagues from different areas (including law, IT, budget). In my day-to-day work, I also have to deal with detailed questions of funding and public procurement law. My knowledge from my studies helps me to implement solutions for better information provision with an interdisciplinary team."

Patrick

"My name is Patrick, I studied Information Science at the University of Regensburg. Already during my studies I founded a small creative agency together with a fellow student and realized numerous projects in the field of web development, usability and web and app design for small and medium-sized companies. After my master's degree I moved to Munich to work for a large car manufacturer (with four rings) as a user experience designer. Here I am mainly responsible for the UX of mobile iOS apps. In the team, we work according to the User Centered Design approach and define, among other things, user needs and user journeys, conduct early surveys, create wireframes and clickable prototypes and then work out the final user interface in detail. During the entire development process, the individual prototypes are iteratively tested and adapted. Creativity, openness to new issues and the ability to put yourself in the shoes of other users are just as important as agile teamwork. The main goal is to make complex issues as simple, intuitive and emotionally appealing as possible."

Marco

"My name is Marco. After my studies in information science I started a job at an automotive supplier. My task there is the development and specification of operating concepts for future Audi vehicles. I am especially responsible for the areas of connectivity, i.e. the interaction of various telephone, Bluetooth and smartphone functions with the smartphone functions with the vehicle, as well as smartphone integration. When creating operating concepts, various requirements must be taken into account, customer requirements and technical conditions must be combined to create an optimal user experience."

Oliver

"My name is Oliver and I graduated from the University of Regensburg with a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Information Science. Immediately after graduation, I worked as a software quality engineer for a large simulation company. My main tasks were the coordination of software developments and the conceptual design of IT solutions in the field of simulation. In order to develop professionally and, above all, to discover new things, I changed to the healthcare sector and am now employed as a project manager in the area of quality management at a large university hospital. An important pillar of quality management, knowledge management, is also one of the main disciplines of information science. I was able to internalize its principles extensively during my university education.
The medical, organizational, but also economic and technical knowledge accumulated over generations is the prerequisite for the creation and optimization of efficient and standardized processes, which ultimately lead to successful treatment and, ideally, recovery of the patients. However, in order to achieve this goal, it is essential to make the required knowledge accessible at any time, quickly and with little effort. This is where my task as project manager comes in: As part of a project lasting several years, the entire document-based knowledge base of the university hospital is being transferred into a modern, efficient and, above all, standardized system that makes the relevant information available quickly and easily to each employee - who comes from a variety of different professional groups. In addition, it is necessary to modernize all associated knowledge management processes in the same course and to standardize them throughout the hospital. Through my studies in information science at the University of Regensburg, I was able to acquire a lot of experience, extensive knowledge and, above all, important methods that can now be applied with great benefit in my project management activities." 

Jessica

"My name is Jessica, I have a Master's degree in Information Science from the University of Regensburg and now work at AutoVision GmbH in Ingolstadt. Through AutoVision, I am currently working on a project at AUDI AG in the area of design and development of an Enterprise 2.0 platform. This is a kind of internal social media platform for AUDI employees. There I manage the further development of applications such as AUDI wiki. Each project cycle lasts 4 weeks, during which any problems that occur are solved and new ideas for improving Enterprise 2.0 are implemented, before a new cycle begins and new tasks are discussed. I am responsible for the organization, planning and supervision of the project. In concrete terms, this means that I mainly coordinate deadlines, consult with stakeholders and chair meetings during my working hours. What I like best about my job is the opportunity to contribute ideas, think creatively and innovatively, and actively contribute to improving internal corporate communications. In addition, the flexible nature of projects helps to ensure that my area of responsibility always remains varied and interesting."

Michael

My name is Michael and I graduated from the University of Regensburg with a Master's degree in Information Science. I currently work at REWAG in Regensburg as an IT project manager in the area of IT systems and solution architecture. Among other things, I deal with the topics of Enterprise Information Management and mobile maintenance processes.

Sarah

"I'm Sarah, 30 years old, and I did both my Bachelor's and Master's in Information Science at the University of Regensburg. After having dealt more intensively with the topic of software engineering in my master's degree and especially in the context of my final thesis (brainstorming with multi-touch tables and smartphone support), I have been working as a mobile developer at the app agency Kupferwerk in Regensburg since 2012. There, together with my colleagues, I develop native Android apps for customers such as Heise Verlag, ProSieben Sat1 Digital or Deutsche Telekom."

Martin

"I have been interested in graphic and web design since my early youth. By combining the Information Science major with minors in Art History and Musicology, I was able to fully realize my passion for the creative on the one hand and modern technologies on the other. The greatest benefit I gained from my studies in Information Science, which I completed with a Master of Arts, was in terms of designing information architectures and managing projects - I internalized how complex user interfaces are planned and implemented, and learned how to structure and document extensive projects in general. In addition, working in a team was essential in almost all of the practical seminars. All of this also helped me with side-study projects - such as the implementation of a portal for vacation accommodations - and with cross-study work - such as the digitization of sheet music for old folk music.
After my master's thesis, I was made aware of a position: My current employer was looking for someone with a passion for CSS and a creative streak. That fit like a glove! Today, I'm a web designer and developer there and run the web area single-handedly, i.e. I work completely independently. Because of my qualifications, I can confidently interact directly with the customer without having to consult with a supervisor. The employer's confidence is high because the course has an excellent reputation. Specifically, my work consists of designing layouts for websites, web apps as well as hybrid apps and programming the same. Thanks to my studies, I am able to conceptualize not only aesthetically pleasing designs, but also user-friendly interfaces. I present my designs to the client in advance and explain the systems. This is often followed by training sessions in which the editors are taught how to use the systems. The work is varied and the tasks never stop. As is usual in the IT industry, you're constantly learning new things and have to keep up with the latest technical developments. But finding information is, after all, the information scientist's daily bread. Thus, with the study of information science, one is optimally prepared for a profession in which there is always something to learn."

Michaela

"My name is Michaela and I work at BMW as a build manager. My main tasks consist of coordinating and managing the software developers, with smaller development activities being implemented by myself. I review IT concepts and code reviews (the "proofreading" of program sections) are also part of my job. I also do organizational tasks such as creating purchase carts for externally contracted requirements, performance confirmations or tracking."

Thomas

"I am Thomas and after my bachelor's degree in information science I completed my master's degree in the same subject. My focus during my studies was already on software development. At my current job in the automotive industry, I am involved in the complete process of software development - from requirements elicitation to software release. The goal of my team is to provide new or optimize existing tools to support the daily work of our colleagues. Currently I am working on an extension for the development environment eclipse."