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New author!
Constantino • 26.Februar, 2009 @ 10:50 • Abgelegt unter: Forschung und Entwicklung
Dear bloggers,
Well, the F&E blog has a new writer as of today! I’ll give you all a brief introduction of myself and clue you in on how the first 6 or so months of my trainee experiences have been.
My name is Constantino and I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. My family is originally from Belgium, where I have lived about 3 years, however I’ve spent about 15 years of my life in the States. I did my undergrad at the University of Missouri in Mechanical Engineering and then decided to do a dual Masters Degree program in Metz, France: also in Mechanical Engineering. I spent about 3 years there after which time I started looking for a job. I naturally choose to stay within Europe since I felt more at home, and ended up securing an interview with Bosch at the “Careers in Europe” recruiting event.
After my first interview in Berlin with Bosch, I was able to have a second and final one with Blaupunkt in Hildesheim, near Hannover. Apparently they liked me enough to offer me the job and so I started as an F&E trainee in mid August 2008. My trainee program is a bit different than the others since I will be working on the same project for the entire 2 year duration. I can’t tell you about the project because it’s top secret ;) Having a trainee program set up this way has its advantages and disadvantages which I will mention a bit later on.
I spent the first two months of my trainee program, as I said before, in Hildesheim with Blaupunkt. It’s a great location because it is in the middle of beautiful green landscape, far away from any large bustling city. The “Standort” is composed of many pre-war era brick buildings and so, in a way, it’s almost a fantasy land. It seems the only modern building here is an 8 floor sky scrapper. I spent my first two months familiarizing myself with the company as well as the project. I hit the ground running and was able to take part within the project right away.
Two months after I started the trainee program, it was decided that the project needed someone to go to CR (corporate research) in Stuttgart to do some computer simulations. So, this was a perfect opportunity for me to move to a new location and start a new station. I was excited to go see how work was different in Stuttgart since I had heard previously that since the Hildesheim location is so far away from Stuttgart, things operate a bit differently. My official location within Stuttgart was in Schwieberdingen which is about 30 minutes north of downtown Stuttgart. The work environment was really cool as I was in a workgroup of about 20 people. We all sat in the same room, without walls between anyone, and so all communication was very open. Everyone was very friendly with me and I could always hear someone laughing about something. I really had a sense of community there. My schedule for this trainee station was to stay about 4 months (until end of February) with the option of it being extended by another two months.
Well, here I am now; I have finished my trainee station in Stuttgart and find myself back in Hildesheim. Right now, my trainee station is sort of a blurry cloud because I am unsure of where I am supposed to be. I am still working on the same project although my function and goals are not very well defined. I have started research for my trainee station abroad and might have the option of going to Mexico City and working in Project Management. I am rather excited about that and reflect on how lucky I am to be in this program and to have the opportunity to so easily move to another country with job security.
So what are my thoughts about these last 6 months, what are the advantages and disadvantages? Well, working on the same project, no matter where I am, allows me to always be focused on the same work. There are no slow weeks after changing stations where I have to do a lot of reading about the new type of work that I’m doing. This also allows me to invest myself into something that will last a good period of time (2 years) and allows me to keep building on my knowledge and experience of one topic. However, this also has its disadvantages. I do not get a very broad experience of business units and functions since I’m always working on the same project. Furthermore, my goals and objectives may not always be very clearly defined since my stations are not clear cut everytime. In a way, I go only where the project needs me, instead of only going where I want to go or going to a place that may offer a good learning opportunity.
I will write back soon hopefully and also hopefully from Mexico. In the mean time, shoot me any questions you all have!
13.Januar, 2010 @ 14:04
Hey Constantino,
I am studying mechanical engineering and work as work student at Bosch in Feuerbach. Your blog is pretty interesting and I would like to join the JMP as well. Are there any specific personal qualities needed to join the program? As I read you got the trainee job at the “Careers in Europe” recruiting event. Did you finished your studies by than? And have you been invited?
Thanks for your hints!
Keep on writing!!!
Cheers Marc
13.Januar, 2010 @ 16:23
Marc,
Certainly there are specific traits that are needed to be a JMPler! Of course, the ones like highly motivated, driven, resourceful and open-minded go without saying; after all, you are applying to be a future manager of Bosch.
However, I would say that you also need the following:
flexible and strong character - you will be living in several cities and countries in a two year period which isn’t as easy as it sounds sometimes.
initiative - the JMP program can be quite “open”, so where you go/end up is up to you and stems directly from your initiative.
people skills - you will have several bosses and many colleagues within this time, the better you are at networking and interacting with people, the better off you will be.
language flexibility - I’ve had the chance of working in English, German, Spanish and French; are you up for the task? Even if you don’t speak the language, can you find someone to help you or solve the problem anyway?
To answer your questions:
The Careers in Europe is a great way to get your foot in the door of Bosch! At the time, I had finished my Masters degree, but was still doing research work at my school. I applied to the job fair and Bosch was one of the several companies which invited me to come interview.
Another way to get in as a JMPler is through the Bosch Assessment Centers. Normally two are held every year, sometimes even in exciting places like Sweden! Since you are already within Bosch, I suggest you shoot an email to someone like Walter Claudia (C/HMR3) to find out more about these Bosch Recruiting Events.
Let me know if you have any other questions!