Today we would like to share a few career path stories from some of our employees that started as working students and then became full-time employees at SimScale.
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.”
Albert Einstein
Name: Sila Altuntas
From: Izmir, Turkey
Working student position: Junior Designer
Current position: UX/UI Designer
Time at SimScale: 2 years
Why did you decide to become a working student with us back then?
I wanted to kickstart my career by gaining practical experience in the field while I was still a master’s student. I was incredibly enthusiastic about applying the knowledge I had acquired during my studies to real-world scenarios. Additionally, like any other student, I wanted financial independence.
What is your background?
I studied Industrial Design/Design Management in Turkey for my bachelor’s degree and actively participated in diverse design projects. I was eager to advance in my career and pursued a master’s education in Germany, where I discovered SimScale which allowed me to merge the knowledge gained from both degrees and shape my career path.
Name: Sebastian Block
From: Lübeck, Germany
Working student position: Customer Support Agent
Current position: Customer Support Engineer
Time at SimScale: 2.5 years
Could you tell us a bit more about your day-to-day work as a working student at SimScale? What tasks did you perform?
As a working student, I was supporting our community and academic users with the usage of the platform, whether via chat or on the forum. This included helping with their simulation setup or helping to get the academic license for a thesis project. In addition, I was keeping in contact with our sponsorships for student competition teams, as well as supporting the documentation team with content on the platform.
What excites you?
I really love a good challenge and helping users. Therefore, it always excites me to have a tricky support case, where a user is facing a difficult problem. In these cases, I can challenge myself, expand my knowledge, and help the customer to gain further insight into their project.
Name: Kaan Yenipazar
From: Marmaris, Turkey
Working student position: Customer Support Agent Intern
Current position: Customer Support Engineer
Time at SimScale: 11 months
How many hours a week did you work as a working student? How did you handle working as a student trainee while studying at university?
Although I was a working student, I’ve been working full-time since I joined SimScale. This was possible because I had already completed my coursework, and I was in my thesis period. It was challenging at first to adjust my schedule, but in time it got better. Especially after I decided to include this product in my own academic research as well.
What are you proud of?
I’m proud to have taken the courageous step of transitioning my career role from design engineer to SimScale as a Customer Support Engineer. This decision has not only allowed me to step out of my comfort zone but has also brought me happiness and fulfillment.
Name: Nur Ozturk
From: Canakkale, Turkey
Working student position: Application Engineer & Product Manager
Current position: Product Manager
Time at SimScale: 2 years
Why did you decide to take on a full-time position at SimScale after graduating?
I had been working at SimScale as a working student for some time already but my learning curve was still going up every day, and I knew there was still a lot to accomplish. I love being part of a team of motivated people striving for big achievements. And, I knew it was the right decision for me to embrace new challenges and move forward with the team.
What has been your biggest accomplishment at SimScale?
I’d say my biggest accomplishment has been changing my approach while framing the problems. During the studies, it’s easy to get caught up in the theory and jump into the solution definition right away. Whereas, during my time at SimScale, I shifted my perspective and prioritized the problem definition instead. I now place greater emphasis on gaining a profound understanding of our users’ perspectives before delving into potential solutions.
Name: Fran García Villanueva
From: Valencia, Spain
Working student position: Working Student CFD Developer
Current position: CFD Developer
Time at SimScale: 2 years 3 months
How did your transition to a permanent position go?
I had the opportunity to write my thesis at SimScale, already working on our new Immersed Boundary solver, which meant that during my last six months at SimScale, I worked full-time. Therefore, transitioning to the permanent position was rather uneventful. I simply took a week off with my remaining days off as a working student.
What do people value about you?
Working in a team with very experienced people, I try to bring ideas about how to do things differently. Although most of them end up discarded, the team appreciates this creativity.
Thank you all!
Stay tuned for more insights into SimScale and see what the team has been up to on our @lifeatsimscale Instagram feed. Want to start your own SimScale story? Make sure to keep an eye on our careers page for possible openings!
