Why Australia?
“Afterwards, I came back and travelled around Australia with two friends from Germany. I picked them up from the airport and we spent some days exploring the city. Then, we took a flight to Melbourne, hired a car and did the Great Ocean Road for three full days. It was a great road trip along the coast of South Australia, and we made a lot of beautiful stops. My personal highlight was the famous Twelve Apostles. After our little road trip, we took a flight to the Outback where we spent five days enjoying the stunning natural environment. We went to the Uluru (Ayers Rock), one of the most impressive rock formations I have ever seen! The sky was amazing, I have never seen such an impressive starlit sky in my life.
“Our next stop was Brisbane – the Gold Coast. We hired a camper van for a road trip along the east coast of Australia. My favourite stops were Byron Bay, Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island, Whitehaven Beach, Townsville and Magnetic Island, Port Douglas, and the tropical Daintree Rainforest. We spent four days in Cairns, went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef and spent the other days relaxing at the hostel! Travelling in Asia and Australia was amazing. Not only because I saw and did so many things, but I met so many interesting and kind-hearted people. This travel experience allowed me to broaden my worldview and experience new and interesting cultures. I am really grateful that I had the chance to do it all. My semester abroad is one of the best decisions I have ever made!”
What’s in store for the future?
“Going to Australia changed my mindset to a certain degree. It made me realise that working abroad is something that I want to do. And there are lots of opportunities in countries like Australia, the UK, Canada or the United States. After graduation, I’d like to do an internship at a consulting company in Germany. Then I would like to gain some work experience in Canada. After that, I’ll come back to Germany and do a master’s degree in engineering.
“My study programme has become more specialised in the field of data science. I want to combine my expertise from the engineering sector and renewable energy sources with modern technologies or data science. I want to improve the efficiency of our energy systems, leading to new ways in how we produce electricity or heat. That’s the long-term goal, and it would, of course, contribute to more sustainable energy generation and protect the environment. I want to work towards a better future for all of us. That’s pretty much the dream.
“I would also love to do some of these things as an entrepreneur. This would enable me to run projects and develop ideas through my own company. And ideally, by founding my own company, I can do something good for humanity – either related to the energy sector or another sector.”
Do you have any advice?
“I think the best advice I could give is to make the most of opportunities to gain new knowledge and meet interesting people. Use the opportunities that come to you at university, go abroad and live in another country for a couple of months. If there are programmes for public speaking, or how to communicate properly, or how to write a resume or CV or letter of application etc. take advantage of them. Don’t waste your time and try to make use of those opportunities today.”
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Find out more about Hermann’s time as an international student in Australia.
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