Florian Hol­ley

Study programme: In­form­a­tion Man­age­ment and Cor­por­ate Com­mu­nic­a­tions (BA)

Employer: Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences

Position: Administration (e-learning expert with focus on learning management and examination systems at Neu-Ulm University of Applied Sciences)

Part-time: Freelance photographer with F.H.Productions, Freelancer Südwestpresse

Contact: LinkedIn-profile (opens in a new window), Instagram-profile (opens in a new window)


For what reasons did you decide to study at HNU?
I chose HNU and IMUK in particular for three reasons:

• The combination of subjects: IMUK offers an insight into many subject areas that were already relevant to me before my studies. As a freelance photographer, the creative subjects such as the "Imaging Project" and "Media Design" were eye-catchers. At the same time, the business subjects were exciting and necessary for my business and its marketing. As a freelance journalist, I also had my eye on the print media, so subjects like the "Text Workshop" and the "Communications Project" were just as interesting for me. Finally, I had already enjoyed coding a lot in my school days and was fascinated by technology, so the IT part was an ideal complement for me. I was especially excited about "web engineering" and "user-centred development".
• The location: For me, the Ulm/Neu-Ulm region is a wonderful location. It takes no more than 1.5 hours by car or train to get to Stuttgart, Munich, Lake Constance, the mountains or even Austria. But there is also a lot to experience and discover right under your nose. Ulm Cathedral, the Blautopf and of course the many quarry ponds in the region are just a few of the countless examples. In addition, the region is a strong business location, so I was always sure I wanted to live here in the long term. So as a child of the region, it was an easy decision to stay in my home nest.
• The prospects: The combination of the two factors above painted a picture for me right from the start that put me in a good position for the future: a multi-faceted degree programme that suited my interests well, close to home and in a good business location. In addition, I already had contacts to newspapers and photographers before my studies, which I hoped to be able to expand even further through my studies - especially in the practical semester.

What tips would you give to students in your degree programme?
IMUK was a combination of fun and drama at all times. You felt overwhelmed and overburdened by other subjects every semester. You faced seemingly insurmountable mountains at various points. But when you reached the top, you were all the more delighted.
For me, four tips and tricks became indispensable:

• Coding is a matter of practice
  The programming subjects present a somewhat special challenge in the degree programme. You can't just let yourself be bombarded or learn everything by heart. To be successful at coding, you have to understand what the computer does with the characters you throw at it. Accordingly, it is important to get to grips with the material early on and to keep challenging yourself a little. After several hours of googling and trying things out, when you have eliminated all the errors and have a running code, you'll be all the more pleased and maybe even enjoy programming... ;)
• Everything is only half as bad
  Sounds stupid and doesn't help anyone in the situation at first, but it was always true in the end. In IMUK, it was made clear to me again and again that anyone can do it with enough will. If you were overwhelmed, it usually helped to break the tasks down into small parts and talk about them with a few good friends. And if that didn't help: Many lecturers were very understanding, especially in the later, more stressful semesters, and sometimes pushed back deadlines when we all despaired. At the beginning of each semester, we had no idea how we were going to get through everything. At the end, we usually had no idea how we had done it - and yet it was done.
• Friends
  Who would have thought: In a communication degree programme, communication is very important. Especially in the higher semesters, more and more group work is on the semester schedule. This makes it all the more important to find a group of friends early on with whom you get along on a personal and content-related level. If everyone pulls together and aims for a similar grade, the results will satisfy everyone in the end. A good team catches up with each other and everyone supports where they can best contribute their skills. It is important to speak openly with each other and to leave constructive criticism at the university. This way, good joint results are achieved and legendary evenings are still celebrated.
• Do not push
  IMUK is structured in such a way that it becomes more and more strenuous and taxing as you go up. A lot is shifted from the exam phase into the semester. Accordingly, it is important to have worked through all exams according to the study plan. When the group exams begin in the higher semesters, it is easiest to work on them with your regular group of friends. If you are still carrying around old burdens or even pushing a group assignment, you are making things harder for yourself than they need to be.

What was your first job like and how did you become interested in it?
Thanks to my good grades, I quickly had offers to work as a tutor and student assistant. I gratefully accepted these opportunities and mostly enjoyed working for and with the lecturers. Through these part-time jobs, I was able to take a look behind the scenes at HNU and the Moodle system. In my sixth semester, I came to the Centre for Digital Teaching (ZDL) through one of my previous jobs and was hired there as a student assistant. As my studies were coming to an end and I had already gained some experience with Moodle and the ZDL, I was offered the opportunity to join them through a project. Since then, I have been supporting teachers in their teaching and examination projects and am mainly responsible for the technical implementation. So I'm in daily contact with lecturers and exchange a lot with other universities. As an HNU employee, this sounds like self-promotion, of course, but I can state quite neutrally for myself that I particularly appreciate the work with my ZDL colleagues and am happy about my good colleagues.


Which experiences from your studies at HNU have proven valuable in your professional life?
Especially the teamwork! The group work from my studies was always exhausting and draining, but it was optimal preparation for everyday work. For me, there is little better than exchanging ideas with people every day and overcoming challenges together with them. During my studies, I already learned a lot about how to communicate with colleagues and how to offer constructive criticism. I can apply and expand this wealth of experience in my daily work.
And the second point: design basics. It happens so quickly that you have to design a small flyer, a poster, a website or even just a mood course. Both at work and in my self-employment, I notice again and again how much it makes to have a certain eye for such tasks and to master the programmes. The eye always eats with you... ;)


How would you complete the following sentence?
HNU... "cost me a lot of nerves, but opened up even more opportunities and contacts for me. "