Johannes van Balen, M.Sc.

What‘s your nicest memory of Braunschweig and do you have a favorite place?

Clearly, that's the Microprocessor Lab at the Computer Science Center (IZ) of the Institute for Operating Systems and Computer Networks. Many great projects and ideas were born here, some of which were actually implemented; I spent many hours working as a student assistant here, and we devoured plenty of pizza and mate.

Reasons why Braunschweig is a great place to study:

A small, compact city that has a lot to offer, is great for cycling, and has good connections to the north (e.g., Hamburg) and the south (e.g., Frankfurt).

Which contents of your studies can you still use in your career today?

Very little of what I need today is exactly what I learned in university. However, my uni experience thoroughly prepared me to boldly tackle new problems and showed me ways to empower myself to solve them.

Are you still in touch with former fellow students? Do you see each other and if so, how often?

There aren't any class reunions, but through various projects I do on the side, I stay in touch with my former classmates from time to time.

What advice would you give current students for their personal career planning?

1. Get involved in what you enjoy. It will pay off, even if not right away. 
2. Don’t get upset if you think you’ve missed a big opportunity: “Who knows what good it might do?” Most strokes of luck come completely out of the blue.
3. Nobody is perfect. Not future bosses, not deans or professors, not me—and not you either. Life is easier when you accept that people make mistakes. Mistakes aren’t a big deal, and almost anything can be set right again.