Between demo portal and product development: Interview with working student Finne

Hello Finn! Thank you for taking the time to do a short interview today. Please introduce yourself first.

Hi, I'm Finn. I come from Mainz, study digital media at Mainz University of Applied Sciences and have been working at Local Brand X as a working student in product management for just over two years now.

How did you decide to start as a working student at Local Brand X?

I also started my studies at the same time as Local Brand X. It was originally planned that I would do a dual course of study with Local Brand X as a practice partner, but that's why I've been working here as a working student for over two years now. Back then, the position was advertised on the university website and addressed me directly. During the first interview and during my trial work day, I immediately felt at ease and also realized that I would be a good fit for the team.

And what are your responsibilities in product management with us?

I used to work a lot on concepts for new functions of the local marketing platform and was in frequent contact with potential new service providers. In the meantime, the whole thing has changed a bit and I am now taking more care of the platform documentation — i.e. our Knowledge Center — and maintaining our demo portal and the so-called master system.

What is exciting about working in product management for you?

I find it exciting to be involved in constantly developing the local marketing platform and also helping to decide on new functions that should be added to the system. In addition, I can have a say in the demo portal and in the Knowledge Center and implement things according to my ideas.

Now you're not only working at Local Brand X, you're also studying on the side. How do you manage to balance your studies and a working student job?

Fortunately, my studies at Mainz University of Applied Sciences are designed so that you can work well on the side. So I always have one day a week when I am at university all day and the remaining days I have rather shorter events so that I have the free time available to work. That's why it's actually no problem to combine work and study. What I find difficult in some cases is to accommodate the self-study time for studying as a whole. But there is usually still enough time for that in the evening or on weekends.

And in addition to work and study, what do you like to do in your free time?

I play volleyball two to three times a week and enjoy sports in general. I also like to use my free time to meet up with friends or family and do something together.

Thank you so much for the interview Finn and we wish you lots of fun with your further work at Local Brand X!