Talking to… goes back to school! Why? We interviewed our student Dario - currently in his 4th semester at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW). To be more precise, we "met" when Dario was in Milan, having a fresh espresso, and just before he was about to dial into his online lecture. That's one of the advantages of the current situation, and Dario just makes the best of it. This is just like him: full of energy, with a healthy pragmatism and spontaneous anyway.

After graduating from high school in 2018, Dario went on a trip around the world. His goal: to have travelled to all continents before his 21st birthday. Back again and also during his time at school, it was clear that he wanted to "do something with media". Sounds like a cliché, but it was exactly the plan he then embarked on. Strichpunkt (or Dario? ;-)) was lucky, he applied just before the deadline and a few weeks later he started.

Whether he would make the same decision again, what he learns and experiences in the practical phases at Strichpunkt, how cold the water is as a DHBW-student with us - here we go:

SP: You are doing a dual course of study at Strichpunkt - tell me, what is the name of the studies and how does such a dual course of study work?
My academic programme is called "Media and Communication Business" with a focus on communication management. It sounds fancy, but in fact it's simply a business degree with a focus on media. This means that in addition to business basics, you also learn about the media and communication industry. Because my programme is a dual course of study, I always alternate between three months at STRICHPUNKT and three months at the Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) in Ravensburg. At STRICHPUNKT, you are always integrated into various projects during the practical phases, while at the DHBW you attend lectures during the theoretical phases and take your exams at the end.
 
SP: Focus on the on-the-job training: What does your day-to-day work at Strichpunkt look like? Which clients and projects are you on board with?
Daily work at Strichpunkt is usually strongly influenced by ongoing projects. For this reason, apart from certain regular appointments, it is quite varied. The possibility to work independently of location has increased flexibility even more. The clients and projects that dual students are involved in often change every practical phase. However, one constant for me since the beginning of my time at Strichpunkt has been the DFB account. Since I started at SP, I have had the opportunity to work on several branding and digital projects and to support the DFB project management. In addition, I was also integrated into projects for Sodapop and the IGEPA Group.
 
SP: How cold has the water been so far, or in other words, what has been the biggest challenge so far in your time at Strichpunkt?
Definitely chilly. After just one month at Strichpunkt at the beginning of my studies, taking on a three-week holiday replacement - with complete lack of knowledge of the industry, project business and client - for an entire account was definitely a big challenge. Nevertheless, it was probably also the most intensive, most educational and most productive time so far - with a learning curve that got steeper every day. Looking back, I would want to do it all over again, because jumping into warm water is somehow pointless.
 
SP: What would you definitely like to do/learn by the end of your studies?
I'm generally quite open about that. So far, I've been able to take something with me from every project and every client, and I think that will also be the case in the future. Basically, it is of course particularly fascinating to work for brands or companies that you are personally interested in. In my case, that would probably be sports or automotive brands.
 
SP: What do you like better - practical phases or the time at the DHBW Ravensburg?
I think that depends very much on the person, as both practical and theoretical phases have their own appeal. While you gain a lot of new experience during your time at Strichpunkt, you also enjoy the time with other students and student life in Ravensburg, of course. Personally, I like the practical phases at SP a bit better. That's really true, even if it would also be kind of funny to answer something different in a "Talking to..." interview ;-)
 
SP: If you could choose again - full-time study or dual course of study?
Since I've never studied full-time before, I don't have a comparison to a certain extent. But I do think that a full-time degree programme has its advantages over the dual model. At the university, you probably dive deeper into the individual contents than is possible at the DHBW because of the limited three-month theory phases. Nevertheless, I would probably choose a dual course of study again because of the diverse practical experience that you can gain during your studies
 
SP: What we want to know in every interview: What does courage mean to you personally?
For me, courage essentially means the willingness to push or even exceed one's own limits and not to be held back by fears or worries. To face emerging challenges or situations that are caused by something new or unknown and to leave one's own comfort zone in the process - that requires courage for me!