Our life is a constant growth.
This guiding principle has accompanied me for a long time and especially in times of the pandemic it has become all the more present for me. In many ways this period has been a time of stagnation. Seeing public life go into a long hibernation and the impact it had and still has on the fates of people, companies and institutions kept me very busy. I found it all the more impressive what a breakthrough many people are capable of when confronted with an unpleasant situation.
To see how many innovative and creative projects were created during this period and are still being created is something incredibly fascinating from my point of view. I observed people writing books; people starting their own businesses, people developing new approaches to fight covid and even launched their own products relating to it. I, too, devoted myself to new or long-postponed tasks during this time. Among others: the development of my personal website, where I present my design projects and talk about topics that move me. I also started to get involved with the NGO SOS mediterranee and dedicate my design skills to a good cause.
This challenging and outwardly stagnant time ignited in me an inner fire and a strong urge to venture and contribute, to grow beyond my comfort zone and to evolve. I asked myself more and more the question – what do I want to achieve in my life, but above all – how and what do I want to contribute to the lives of other people.
This thought process finally led me to the decision to study again. After more than 5 years of professional experience as a media designer, I had the feeling that I was at a standstill – even though I had more than enough reasons for a dynamic workday with a 40h+ workweek and my additional commitment as a freelancer. Nevertheless, I had the feeling that many topics were repeating themselves, which didn’t help me to grow personally anymore. So I wanted to break this cycle. I found myself wondering more and more what the true role of a designer is, and the more I thought about it, the clearer it became that it is and should be far more than what is visually perceived on the surface.
As Tim Brown, chair of IDEO – who I had the pleasure of meeting in person during my time at the company – said, »Design has bigger role to play than just creating nifty, fashionable little objects«. I share his opinion 100% and would now like to acquire the necessary skills for myself, referring to questions like how to solve today’s complex problems that demand much more than well thought-out interfaces.
And this is where the MCiT program comes into play. MCI was recommended to me by friends and the MCiT degree program immediately jumped out at me when I looked into what was on offer. It was a perfect match for the following 5 reasons:
1. Seeing the world as a classroom 🌍
This claim simply speaks from my soul. To solve today’s complex challenges, you need an open culture. You can’t solve them on your own – big tasks require big teams, good collaboration and different perspectives. Personally, I count traveling and meeting new people among the greatest inspiration and enrichment you can experience in your own development process.
2. Combining the right disciplines 🖇
Even though my bachelor’s degree made me an expert in the field of visual and corporate communication, I still missed the connection to the application fields that make up the big picture. The Management, Communication & IT degree program fills that gap for me. To deepen knowledge when it comes to business issues and to illuminate them against the backdrop of digitization; to gain new knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship and management at the communicative level, but also to be able to apply and implement these by myself using modern information and communication technologies. All this represents for me a great know-how pit into which I am more than ready to jump.
3. Promoting the right talents 🚀
This also leads me to the next reason: I am very impressed by how much importance is attached to a perfect fit in the selection process of suitable candidates. Even during the info sessions I could see for myself that MCI wants to promote the right talents. People who are truly motivated. I am also convinced that I could be considered as such a candidate. I bring a high level of commitment and enthusiasm to this course of study, as well as a great drive wanting to create positive impact for society. I am fascinated by new media and today’s technologies and love working with people. I know that I am able to contribute to the success of others and nothing gives me more pleasure than that. However, what is still missing in my wealth of experience is the comprehensive know-how in the entrepreneurial field, which I am already incredibly looking forward to.
4. Thinking and acting digital 📱
Digital technologies have inspired me all my life. Being a digital native you are almost permanently exposed to technological development. Smart technologies, digital business models and systems, human-machine interactions – these are all developments that add positive value to our lives, which is why they fascinate me so much. I myself have already been able to gain many insights into such business models through my current role as a senior designer at a venture capital fund. By investing in innovative start-ups from industries such as life sciences and information technology, the company is contributing to positive economic and social change, which I am very much in favor of. But above all, it is shaping a sustainable future in this way. Sustainability is one of the biggest issues of our time anyway. We are facing major global challenges that I believe can only be solved by new, innovative and digital approaches.
5. Global foresight 🔭
The fact that at MCI it is not only possible to take part in an exchange with various partner universities, but also to get a second degree from the United States by having the opportunity to study there and getting to know other perspectives on originally mentioned topics is like a jackpot to me. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to work with people having different points of views. I am convinced that this is the most fertile ground for any kind of innovation.
I sincerely hope that I could convince you about my intentions and I am already looking forward to the next steps.
Thank you.