Clint Dawson studied Business Administration and Economics followed by a Master's degree in Management at the University of Hohenheim. Today he works at the Mercedes Benz Bank in Stuttgart in the area Strategic Projects Finance & Controlling.
His Tips
Don’t take too many exams.
Network a lot. It helps when looking for internships.
Don’t give up hope, just keep going. A bad grade isn’t the end of the world.
Do a Master’s program. It opens a lot of doors.
Spend a semester abroad. It will develop you personally and culturally.
Don’t just apply for every job after your studies and accept the first offer you get. Think carefully about where you feel comfortable.
Strategic Projects Finance & Controlling Mercedes Benz Bank Stuttgart
Studies at the University of Hohenheim 2008-2014
Business Administration and Economics B.Sc.
Management M.Sc.
Job
What are typical activities for you in your job?
I don’t have any typical activities. I work on strategic projects for our CFO, and project work means you’re always doing something different. There is no daily routine, and my boss always gives me a lot of freedom. But that’s what I like so much about it.
When did you decide to take the job?
After studying, I wanted to do a traineeship with a large company. There are a lot of businesses that offer that kind of program. In the Daimler Job Marketplace, I found the position with the Mercedes Benz Bank in the area Strategic Projects Finance & Controlling and thought it sounded very interesting. And then I ended up getting the position.
Studies
I come from Stuttgart, so studying in Hohenheim made sense. After school and then a year of volunteer work, I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to study.
I decided to study Business Administration and Economics because that opens up a lot of opportunities and you can start almost anyway. No matter whether it’s a small service provider or a global corporation, everyone needs controlling or a management accounting division.
“You can start anywhere in business!”
What were your studies like?
During my Bachelor’s degree I specialized in Business, especially Finance. My fellow students talked me into it, and I really enjoyed it.
I then did the Master’s in Management because it fit with my concentrations during the Bachelor’s. I knew I wanted to do a Master’s degree because that meant I could enjoy student life a while longer, and also because I wanted to improve my job chances. The trainee program I’m doing right now is only open to graduates with Master’s degrees, for example.
What about experiences outside of the classroom?
During my sixth semester I did an internship with the Börse Stuttgart and then worked there as a working student. I then did a two-month internship with a large auditing company. I think internships are very important because they help you figure out what you want to do or, even more important, what you definitely do not want to do. I thought the internship with the auditing company would be more interesting and realized that was not where I wanted to end up.
I was also active in clubs, was the floor representative for my residence hall in the Schwerzstraße directly on campus, and I offered tutoring.
“You might laugh about a semester abroad in Bali - but it was great for my personal development.”
“I was surprised by the broad spectrum of content and the large lecture halls.”
Those are experiences I wouldn’t want to have missed. Especially my semester abroad in Bali helped me a lot. You might laugh about a semester abroad in Bali - but it was great for my personal development. And it opened doors for me: Experience abroad was a basic requirement for my trainee program.
