Felix Butz studied Nutritional Management and Dietetics at the University of Hohenheim. Today, he works as a Project Manager with Sanalogic GmbH, a mid-sized software company specialized in catering management.
His Tips
Do internships. Take a longer time to finish your studies for the internships.
Pursue your interests besides the required lectures.
In your interviews after your degree, trust in the competences you have obtained and don’t let yourself be intimidated or undersold.
Project Manager Sanalogic GmbH, Nieder-Olm
Studies at the University of Hohenheim 2013-2016
Nutritional Management and Dietetics B.Sc.
Job
What are typical activities for you in your job?
As a Project Manager, I am responsible for introducing our software to clients, in our case that means hospitals, rehabilitation centers, and nursing homes. With the software, the patients’ menus are recorded, making it easier to plan and carry out kitchen logistics and purchasing. I make sure everything goes smoothing from the first kick-off event to the system start. This also means organizing and leading workshops, carrying out training sessions, acting as a go-between for support and clients’ IT department for technical measures, and supporting the software’s further development.
When did you decide on your career?
The position as Project Manager actually didn’t even come up until the interview. I had applied for another position in the company, and during the interview my boss offered me the project manager position. It fit perfectly.
Studies
Why the University of Hohenheim? And why Nutritional Management and Dietetics?
Before my studies, I did vocational training as a chef and also worked in that profession. But I soon realized that I didn’t want to be a chef for my entire career. I looked around for a degree program in the area of nutrition.
For various reasons, I ended up at the University of Hohenheim: It has a good reputation in the discipline, and I really liked the mix of applied nutrition, dietetics, and a little bit of nutrition and catering management. I was also already familiar with the University.
“The mix of topics and the University’s good reputation brought me to Hohenheim.”
What were your studies like?
I filled out my profile with subjects in business administration, accounting, and economics. Especially if you want to get started in larger companies in the nutrition or food industry, I think that makes a lot of sense.
What about experiences outside of the classroom?
I started studying very late and already had a certain standard of living that I wanted to maintain. So I worked as a freelancer. I offered nutrition coaching but also cooking courses or catering. I also worked as a student assistant at the Institute of Clinical Nutrition. In that position, I worked on various studies and found it really fascinating. In the third semester there was also a very interesting Humboldt reloaded project in which we identified the olfactory receptors in the intestinal tissue of mice.
What surprises and challenges were there during your studies?
Time management was difficult for me - especially with all of my side jobs. There weren’t many surprises. I had informed myself well before starting, and during my studies the communication was very good.
“Communication was very good during my studies."
What competences from your studies are important in your job today?
I have a very good understanding for our clients, who have very different dietetic requirements for our software. I can also understand the economic demands of the clients when it comes to the software and can adjust it accordingly.
When I think back on my studies in Hohenheim, I think of...
...a great, sometimes challenging time that was very exciting and eventful and offered a lot of new experiences. A lot happened in those three years.
