CBS International Business School, 21 June 2019

Alumni interview with Tim Becker

Career booster MBA - for Tim Becker this plan worked out. With his "Master of Business Administration" degree from CBS, he joined Porsche Consulting as a Senior Consultant. He is currently doing his doctorate in "Business and Management Research" alongside his profession and was available for a brief interview on his MBA studies and his career.

CBS: Why did you apply for the MBA International Management at our campus?

Tim Becker: My motivation for an MBA became apparent during my first job. With my bachelor's degree, I felt well prepared for my professional life, but I had the desire to further my professional development. I love challenges - that's why I chose a part-time MBA in English. On the one hand, this decision enabled me to continue working as a consultant in order not to completely lose touch with the "world of work". On the other hand, I was able to prove my organisational skills with an MBA. I considered a doctorate at an early stage and was encouraged to pursue this goal after successfully completing my MBA.

CBS: What did you like best about studying at CBS?

Tim Becker: I particularly liked the personal character of the studies and the good atmosphere, which was achieved in particular by the size of the courses and the proximity to the lecturers.

CBS: What does a typical working day look like for you today?

Tim Becker: A typical working day as a consultant doesn't really exist: Depending on the type of project and the question, a working day can look very different. Usually, the day starts with a morning round to prioritize topics and coordinate dates and workshops for the day or week. Then, depending on the project status, we deal with data analysis, conduct workshops or work conceptually on scenarios and solutions for the individual challenges of our clients.

CBS: What do you like about your work?

Tim Becker: What I like most about my job as a consultant at Porsche Consulting is that I never know exactly what to expect before a new project. Exciting challenges, changing questions and different characters make every project unique. During my last project, it was only during the kickoff that I learned that the majority of the team doesn't speak English, only Portuguese - but solutions are found for this as well. Such challenges make international projects particularly attractive.

CBS: What typical cliché about your current position doesn't apply?

Tim Becker: "Consultants are hanging up their private lives". Consultant life can be very labour-intensive at times, but the issue of work-life balance is taken seriously at Porsche Consulting and lived out by our team and superiors. Porsche Consulting offers me a lot of flexibility in order to be able to reconcile my professional and private life. This begins with modern working time models, sabbaticals, a home office option and the free choice of office location. We also have the opportunity to integrate the topics of fitness, health and nutrition into our consultant life. But the best example is actually that I can do my doctorate part-time and thus pursue my private goals.

CBS: What are your career plans for the next few years?

Tim Becker: As I feel very comfortable at Porsche Consulting, I see my professional future in this company for a long time to come. My next short-term goal is to make the next career step with the position as a manager. In addition to the actual project work, this also includes team coordination and control, the preparation and implementation of acquisitions and the identification of new project approaches with our clients.

CBS: How did your studies at CBS prepare you for your current position?

Tim Becker: During my studies at the CBS, I developed professionally and personally, but also linguistically, and thus got the impetus for my career as a management consultant at Porsche Consulting. In particular, the processing of practical case studies and presentations prepared me well for the selection process in a management consultancy.

CBS: What advice would you give to prospective students?

Thomas Klatte: I recommend every student at CBS - both in the Bachelor's and Master's programmes - to network with fellow students, lecturers and professors at an early stage and to take advantage of the career events on offer.

In addition, I think it makes sense to take the initiative in dealing with topics that really interest you and could be relevant to your future job. Learning content is often conveyed professionally, but only superficially due to the limited time available.

CBS: Thank you very much for the interview!

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CBS International Business School

CBS International Business School is a state-recognised private university of applied sciences for business. We offer accredited Bachelor's, Master's and MBA degree programmes in German and English on a full-time or part-time basis. Throughout Germany, the university is represented at three locations in Cologne, Mainz, and Potsdam.

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