Education positions 2026

1. Why did you take part in the exchange?

I took part in the exchange because I knew that spending time outside my institution would open up new opportunities and perspectives for me. I was also firmly convinced that an exchange and the associated break from my comfort zone could only improve my skills as a trainee and my personal abilities. The exchange also offers the opportunity to experience the theoretical information learned at school in practice at other companies, thereby deepening one's understanding of it.

2. What advice would you give to someone who will be participating in an exchange in the future? 

I would advise them to prepare well for the exchange in advance and, for example, to take notes during the exchange so that they can record what they did and how they did it each day, and possibly to make an initial list of the pros and cons of their experiences. The notes helped me to remember what I had experienced better and to reflect on it in more detail later. An open attitude towards new impressions and working methods at the different computer and data centres is also helpful.

3. What did you find particularly exciting in Heidelberg?

The small museums, which could be found in almost every university building, were exciting, as there was always something to discover. For example, the Institute of Physics has a Foucault pendulum, which looks very impressive in the premises and is very interesting to observe. It is also worth taking a look at the display cases in the university computer and data centre, which are filled with old hardware.

4.    Is there anything you learned there?

What I remember most is that I learned what magnetic tape data backup is in Heidelberg. It is a method of storing data for the long term and thus backing it up. The magnetic tape acts as a storage medium and works in a similar way to an old music cassette. In Bonn, after talking to my colleagues, I learned that the university's computer centre in Bonn also used this method to store data at the time. 

5.    What did you find particularly exciting in Düsseldorf?

I spent a lot of time exploring my surroundings and getting to know the city better. I found one service offered by the HHU computer centre particularly exciting: the so-called ‘film production’ is a service in which the computer and data centre realises video projects by university employees and assists in their development. These are primarily educational films, image films or event documentaries. Together, storyboards are created, shooting days are organised and equipment is provided.

6.    Is there anything you learned there?

During a campus tour on the first day, I learned general information about the university, and I noticed that the universities are very similar in many aspects of their structures. I suspect that this is due to their common location in North Rhine-Westphalia. For example, at the HRZ in Bonn, we use the same applications as in Düsseldorf: SoGo for email, Ilias for e-learning, sciebo as the university cloud and Confluence as the knowledge database.

7.    How did you plan the programme/activities for your stay in Bonn?

I coordinated the planning with Alex, a third-year trainee. He was also taking part in another exchange programme, so it made sense to plan the exchanges in Bonn together. For example, it was important to us to show our guests our high-performance computer and our server rooms. In addition to the activities during working hours, we also planned activities for after work to get to know each other better and thus support team building. For example, I organised a short city tour and a dinner together.

8. Is there anything you would change if you had the opportunity?

Since I was thoroughly satisfied with the exchange, I wouldn't want to change anything fundamentally. I believe that a week is the ideal length of time to gain an initial and, in some areas, in-depth impression of the processes at the other institutions. In retrospect, I would change my planning, as I feel that visiting the vocational school was somewhat unnecessary, given that the schools are not very different from one another.