“I consider the choice of dual training to be one of the best decisions of my life.
It’s wonderful that today’s higher education system makes it possible,
to come out of university with some work experience.”
Interview with Zsuzsanna Felícia Pretz (Technical Manager, the Harman Becker Kft. Harman Becker)
(Part fifteen of the alumni interview series)
- What was your motivation for choosing our university or its predecessor institutions?
At the time, I had been thinking for a long time about whether I wanted to study Engineering or Economics. When I saw that Óbuda University combined these two specialisations, it became clear that I would choose this institution. It was important for me to stay in Székesfehérvár, so AMK was just icing on the cake! - Exactly which predecessor institution did you study at? Which degree(s) did you obtain? I graduated from Alba Regia Faculty of Technology and Engineering, with a specialisation in Logistics and Quality Management.
- Did you have a teacher you looked up to? What message/perspective/knowledge did he or she enrich you with? My upbringing meant that I always looked up to all of my teachers. Of course, there were some outstanding ones who not only imparted professional knowledge, but also paid a lot of attention to the personal development of the students, especially to the development of soft skills.
I am still in contact with teachers Éva Takács and Gábor Fejes, who excelled in teaching Economics and Management subjects and always illustrated the “dry” curriculum with examples from life. - Can you recall your first memory of university? There are so many memories, it’s hard to say which one was the first. What was definitely the first week was the first Maths I lecture. The big lecture hall in Building K was packed, there were a lot of us. I think that’s where I really felt like a college student, because in high school we never had hundreds of people in a class.
- Did the institution give you a life-long passport? That’s all I got! Of course, getting a degree means a lot in a young person’s life, but it’s “just” a piece of paper. It was the journey to get the paper that was really interesting. The time spent developing, maintaining the intrinsic motivation as a kind of self-stimulation process that lasts beyond the university years. I have had that over the years, the flame has been lit, I just need to keep it going.
- Did you find time to have fun while you were studying? What were your student years like at university? Theuniversity student years started with fun… Freshers’ camp was an extraordinary experience, and I would recommend any student who is reluctant to attend to go! Apart from the fun, it’s the social capital that really counts, you never know that the person you say hello to on the first day will be giving you a life-saving note 3 semesters later! The camp set the mood, we had many opportunities to have more fun with the community in Whitewater, we keep up the good habit of getting together regularly after university.
- Can you describe what you loved most about the university? The company and the atmosphere. The atmosphere of the faculty at the White House is completely different, I loved going there. We had mostly small group classes, as there weren’t many of us in the art department. The teachers looked at us more like future colleagues and never made us feel like we were just kids (although sometimes we acted like it 😊). I loved the opportunities the university offered, field trips, competitions.
- What opportunities do you see in higher education today? I consider the choice of dual training to be one of the best decisions I have ever made. It is wonderful that today’s higher education system allows you to come out of university with work experience. On the one hand, it looks good on a CV, and on the other hand, students who study in dual training are more resilient and are immediately employed. I would like to encourage everyone to choose this form of training.
- Any advice for today’s youth on how to choose a university/career for themselves? Be sure to consider what really drives them. I know that even today, many people choose a university that their parents really want them to go to, but it’s not the parents who will live that life. In today’s fast-paced world, the average person changes occupation every 7 years, it is much easier to change or specialise than it used to be. If you don’t know at 18 what direction to go in, don’t stress about it, choose something good to start with and then go on to do anything (such as technical management).
- Can you recall a memorable moment that links you to our university? Every time I walk past a Coop store, I think of my university years. Every major break we would walk over to the store together and talk about anything. If we did well on a ZH, if we did badly, if we were tired, if we were nervous, if we just felt like it, we always went to the Coop near the university. Since then I still have thousands of points on my coop card, as the guys always passed it around to collect points, I think the university should contract the store for a commission after sales… 😊
- To what extent can you use what you have learned at our institution in your workplace? Absolutely superbly. The question is also true in reverse, as owing to the dual training, I was able to use the knowledge I gained in the workplace during my university studies. The university curriculum was very well-structured and contained information and techniques that were always being updated. I liked the fact that the teachers were open to new things and not stuck in a rut, trying to pass on material written 30-50 years ago. If we brought something new, they wanted to improve and learn, that’s the way the technical world should be about.
- Did you want to do this as a child or did you have other “career dreams”? As for me, I never really had that certain ever since I can remember feeling. I’ve always been interested in everything, although I was never the typical girly-girl, I was into technical stuff. I used to do a lot of DIY with my dad and go to work with him, so that’s definitely a direction I bring from home. What I would highlight is that for years I wanted to be a storm chaser and volcanologist, I still have a passion for these subjects to this day although it’s not so much my profession.
- With a degree in hand, what were the first few steps you took to further your career? I brought it into the company with the first few steps. 😊 During my 3.5 years of university I worked at Harman, the last 2 semesters as a project engineer assistant. When my degree manifested itself physically I successfully jumped the assistant ladder and became a full-fledged project engineer.
- Did you have a supporter who helped you at the beginning of your career? I’m afraid there would not be enough characters to write out the names of all people who have supported me and continue to support me to this day. So I’d rather not start listing names, because the list is too long and growing. I feel lucky to have so many people standing by me and helping me in my daily life, I thank them and try to make them proud!
