Uzair has been a working student at arculus for almost a year. He is in the Project Execution team, responsible for change management, running simulations for new software, as well as writing scripts and documentation. He is an Intralogistics 4.0 enthusiast and a quick learner. Find more about Uzair and his journey at arculus in this article.
Hi Uzair! Please tell us a bit about yourself.
Uzair: “I am from India. After completing my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering, I worked for a year in the production department of an automotive company. In 2020, I decided to pursue a Master’s degree relevant to my work experience and chose the Management and Engineering In Computer-Aided Mechanical Engineering program at RWTH Aachen. I know that is a very long name for a program (laughs), but it fits well with my role at arculus.”
How do you recall our onboarding process?
Uzair: “It was smooth for me. Even though Germany was in lockdown last year, I still received my laptop, gear, and tools via mail on time. I also did some mandatory short courses that are relevant to my job. My manager also offered constant support. He patiently answered my questions about production and software development and guided me well throughout the process."
So, how do you find the work-study balance at arculus?
Uzair: “Work-study balance is quite good at arculus. My colleagues have told me several times that I should always put my studies first. For me, attending meetings is voluntary. If I do not have time for a task due to a busy university routine, I can skip it or do it later, which helps in being flexible. I appreciate the constant reminder that, as a working student, I can’t give it all.
Even though I need to attend classes on campus, I am still allowed to work remotely. As I live in Aachen, this has made my daily schedule much less stressful. But when I see my colleagues at the office, I do feel like I am missing out on all the fun.”
Is this your first student job in Germany?
Uzair: “Yes!”
Cool! So how do you believe your work experience at arculus differs from the ones in your home country?
Uzair: “This is my first ever remote work experience. Although working from the office has its perks, the flexibility to work from anywhere saves me commuting time. I can even work from the university library.
Also, the work coordination at arculus is applaudable. Back in India, I would have 50-60 calls a day. But, at arculus, I learned that instead of making 20 calls individually, we can hold short key meetings with selected individuals and resolve the problem.”
How do you feel that your work at arculus contributes to your learning process?
Uzair: “My Master’s program also covers management courses. Therefore, several subjects coincide with my job. For example, I had this course called “Factory Planning'' last semester. It was about project execution, and I could practically see it happening at arculus during the delivery, installation, and tests for our arculee. So I think my tasks not only add value to my work experience but also help me perform better at my studies.”
And do you believe your responsibilities prepare you well for a full-time role?
Uzair: “Yes. I see myself doing a full-time job in project execution or something similar in Intralogistics 4.0, and my current responsibilities at arculus are preparing me well for it. Like I now know how a detailed Gantt chart (a project management tool) should look like!”
What is the most important thing that you have learned at arculus?
Uzair: “Time management and how important deadlines are. Also, not to mix personal, school, and work life. They have to be separate.”
Lastly, do you have any tips for working students who want to apply to arculus?
Uzair: “It is crucially important to have an interdisciplinary mindset so that it becomes easier to handle various aspects of the job.”
Interdisciplinary is an interesting term that you have used. Can you tell us more about it?
Uzair: “For example, a project manager’s job is not about just supervising the project. They have to manage finances, understand customer requirements, communicate with the customers, or handle sensitive data. Hence, a basic knowledge of business processes and strategies is equally important as an in-depth understanding of mechanical engineering.”
