Dual studies in Business Information Technology at Bayer - first impressions

Hello Everyone. We are Marco (19) and Lino (19) and we would like to give you some information about our WI program. Both of us started in September 2019 with the Dual Study education at Bayer. In the following interview, we will give you an insight into our first five months, our first experiences and our thoughts about Bayer. Have fun!

Lino: Hello Marco. When and why did you start thinking about a form of education combining university and work?

Marco: Hello Lino. I had been thinking about the dual system for a long time. I wanted to do it the combined way because you gain great work experience besides studying at the university. Another reason was that, often, large companies and corporations offer these dual study programs. I think, I can benefit from these opportunities at a DAX 30 company.  

Why Business Information Technology? That’s why:

Marco: Have you had any contact with the topic “Business Information Technology” before?

Lino: To be honest, no. I haven’t had a lot of exposure to this subject.

Marco: Why have you chosen this course of studies then?

Lino: I think that digitalization will have a big impact on the job market. This sector of work will see more demand over the coming years. In addition to this, through my family I acquired an interest in topics related to the business and digital world. Therefore, I believe this course is a good way to learn about the main aspect of digitalization, computer science, while gaining important insights into how businesses work. How about you? Why did you choose Bayer as your employer?

Why Bayer? That’s why:

Marco: In all honesty, the atmosphere through the whole application process was better than at any other company I found during my job search. After my many job interviews, I was sure that Bayer matches my interests.

Lino: What opportunities do you think you’ll have in such a large corporation? What do you think it will offer you?

Marco: In my opinion, the possibilities are endless. They give us the chance to learn more about the company’s structure and this will play an important role in our jobs. Another big advantage is that we will work in different departments during our education. For me, it’s great because I’ll get a better idea of what I’d like to do after finishing university. Therefore, they offer us a lot. So what do you think you can give Bayer in return?

Lino: I hope that I can support every department with my knowledge from university and help them bring their projects to a successful ending. After your first months at university, you are in your first deployment at Bayer. What are your first impressions?

Daily working routine

Marco: My first impression about our initial deployment is very positive. We are currently in the Talent Marketing Operations department, which will be part of TA within HR Solutions. We have cool projects to work on and even cooler colleagues.

Lino: Okay, great. What is your main task in your current department?

Marco: We have very exciting tasks. We are helping to develop and enhance the chatbot on Bayer’s career website. The name of the Artificial Intelligence is Bobby and we are presently figuring out how to improve him. We took the framework from an older version and tried to find mistakes in Bobby’s responses. Now we are transferring the data from the old version to the new version of Bobby so we can make him more precise and consistent in his response accuracy. It’s an assignment with great responsibility.

Lino: Sounds like a very interesting and complex project. How is the community spirit in your department?

Marco: I love the community spirit in our department! We were given a warm welcome and started our first day with a meeting. Everybody introduced themselves and shared three personal things which no-one was aware of. Now back to you Lino – what do you expect overall from your studies at Bayer and the FHDW?

Expectations & tips

Lino: I expect a lot. In the FHDW, with only 25 people (just Bayer & Covestro students) in each lecture, it’s easier to focus on the topic and understand what the professor says. This is quite different to other universities where up to 600 people attend a lecture. I’m sure I’ll be able to learn in a more effective way. That’s my expectation concerning my time at the FHDW. With regards to our work at Bayer, being given exciting projects by the departments is very important to me.

Marco: Can you tell the reader where our university is and how long it takes you to get there every morning?

Lino: Our university, the “Fachhochschule der Wirtschaft”, is in Bergisch Gladbach, which is in the east of Cologne. Because I live in Leverkusen, it takes me about half an hour to get there. You said many positive things about our program in your answers. If you had to give your first months at Bayer a score between 1 and 10 – with 10 being the best and 1 being the worst – what would it be?

Marco: At the moment we’re in the second month of the deployment phase, so I can’t give an overall impression yet. But for me, the time here is fantastic and I’ve already learned a lot of new things – at university and during my time in the department. For the first months I would give a “9”. We talked about your opportunities and benefits in this business. Which skills would you like to gain at Bayer?

Lino: My primary wish is to develop myself in different areas. Of course, my professional skills will hopefully become much better because of the time at university and the many hours I invest at home. But for me, it’s even more important to develop my personality. That’s where the time working at Bayer come into play. Experiencing daily life at work, really helps your personality grow.

Marco: Here’s one last question. Would you recommend the WI program to other ambitious school graduates?

Lino: Most definitely. To anyone who has just finished school and who’s willing to undertake a program where the learning and the working aspects are combined in a very enriching way. In comparison to a normal course of study, you have less free time, but you can use the time to get valuable experience and in-depth knowledge of a large corporation.

Marco: Thank you for this interview, Lino. I think, we were able to give the reader an accurate insight in our daily life as dual students at Bayer.

Lino: Thanks to you too, Marco. I very much hope so! Thank you, everyone, for reading this interview. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us!

Contact us:

Marco: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marco-dolenga-a22a1b1a0/

Lino: https://de.linkedin.com/in/lino-giacomo-kleinkauf-76466816a