"Business administration, computer science and logistics - that's what it is for me to this day".
Jörn Schwabenland, born in 1972, studied business informatics with a focus on logistics at the then Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences. After graduating in 1999, the freshly graduated business IT specialist joined Kuffler Holding GmbH and its subsidiary SoftGroup GmbH as an IT developer and consultant before moving to Axit AG as a senior specialist in 2001. The 47-year-old has now been working as an expert for ICT services at DB Systel GmbH since 2008. SPEKTRUM spoke with Jörn Schwabenland about his student days in Ludwigshafen, the application focus of his studies and his current areas of activity.
Mr. Schwabenland, you studied business informatics at the then Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences. Did you take away any decisive skills and impulses from your studies for your current position as a product owner for SAP operations?
Jörn Schwabenland: Even during my studies, I worked as a student trainee in the administration of Linux, Unix, Windows and Novell networks. Immediately after my studies, I worked in administration and software development. Here the technical contents from computer science were very helpful. In today's environment, I work as a product owner in SAP operations at DB Systel GmbH. Here, the business management aspects and the SAP know-how I gained during my studies were an advantage.
From today's perspective, the most important thing I took away from my studies was the methodical approach to building up knowledge and solving IT problems with a business perspective on customer benefits and business processes.
What made you decide to study in Ludwigshafen back then?
Pure computer science was too technical for me, and a general business administration degree was too commercial. At the time, I wanted a combination with a good technical focus and a degree in business informatics.
The focus on logistics is still with me today. Since 2000, I have been working in changing roles and tasks with administrative, project, sales and operational areas for the former Axit AG, now Siemens Digital Logistics, and DB Systel GmbH.
Business administration, information technology and logistics - that's what it's all about for me to this day and, looking back, confirms my decision to study at what was then Ludwigshafen University of Applied Sciences.
Do you have fond memories of your time in Ludwigshafen?
Yes, the time spent studying, the professors, the hectic time spent cramming, the fellow students, the togetherness and the celebrations - I wouldn't want to miss any of it! Not even the Postbank cafeteria across the street and the bad coffee from the vending machines.
What interesting projects are you currently working on?
DB Systel GmbH's own data centers have been sold. We are currently migrating all applications to the cloud. For more than 500 applications, projects are, will be and have been set up for migration to Amazon AWS as well as Microsoft Azure Cloud. The technical changes for the applications through the cloud providers' capabilities and services are currently the most exciting areas of knowledge. The cloud migrations of the SAP applications are currently the most interesting projects that keep me busy.
In addition, we are changing the organization of work in the company. The transformation of the entire company to self-organization with agile working methods in smaller teams and the associated (co-)design possibilities by the employees are unique. The changes in the working world are an interesting "project" in their own right for each employee.
Have you ever regretted your choice of study?
No.
What advice would you give to current WI students?
Being an expert in a specific technology, software product or programming language is good. More important are the skills to engage with new challenges and respond adaptively.
Learn to engage with new things. Thinking and working methods as well as a good network are more important than a learned technical know-how on a subject.
Did you go back to your "old" university after you graduated?
In the first two years, I met up with other fellow students at Ludwigshafen UAS from time to time.
What offer could you be tempted with today?
An explicit event for a meeting of graduates of a certain department or year would entice me. Haven't actively looked at the university's Facebook or website the last few years, though.
Anything else you'd like to share with the university administration or your old department?
I don't have enough insight into university operations today to do that.
Thank you very much for the interview!
