An espresso with...Dr. Christian Gorldt

Dr. Christian Gorldt was born in Bremen and has recently started working at the Digital Hub Industry. His time at BIBA (Bremen Institute for Applied Technology and Working Sciences) opened many doors in the digital field for his career, which he is now continuing at the Bremen AI Transfer Center.

Why did you study at the University of Bremen?

I didn’t go directly to university after my high school graduation. At the time, I chose to pursue a vocational training as an industrial clerk, and I completed a dual study program in business administration at Coca-Cola in Bremen. This means that I worked and gained practical experience for three years and got to know the basics of a company. There, I worked extensively with IT and built a database for sales controlling. It was really exciting because I could connect the processes I had learned with the technology. However, I realized that these IT systems, which were from the late 90s, didn’t quite suit me. I decided that after my training, I wanted to understand more about how IT systems are created. I researched and came across the media informatics program at the University of Bremen. And why the University of Bremen? I was born in Bremen, I find Bremen very beautiful, and it made sense for me to study here since I was also very active in a sports club at that time and worked with youth, which allowed me to combine my life and training wonderfully at the same location.

Did you continue to work while studying?

I had worked for three years during my training, so I was used to combining work with my education. I wanted to continue that during my studies. When the winter semester started, it was obvious to me that I would look for a job parallel to my studies to gain experience and, of course, earn some money. I applied to the Bremen Institute for Applied Technology and Working Sciences (BIBA). They were looking for a database developer, and I would have had the chance to work as a student assistant while studying in department 3. I didn’t get the database development task but was assigned a different one. In hindsight, that turned out to be quite alright, as it shaped my professional career.

Were your expectations of the university fulfilled?

Yes, my expectations were met; I was able to learn more about the background of “why” and the approaches involved. At BIBA, there was a project called Palme – process-integrated qualification adjustment with new media – which was a large project funded by the BMBF aimed at redesigning the industrial master qualification, known as Industrial Master 2000. The institute was the scientific project leader; they had the task of writing scripts for e-learning systems, and to do that, one had to document processes in the company using audiovisual media while simultaneously writing scripts for learning systems. That was incredibly exciting. In training, you learn that things just are the way they are, but I’ve always been interested in: “Why is that so?” and “What are the paths to a result?”

What significance did your studies in Bremen have for your career path and later work?

I’ve already mentioned that I didn’t initially plan to study, so I hadn’t intended to take this path. I just went with it and was very happy to be involved. Certain things then unfolded, and ultimately, my bachelor’s degree enabled me to later work as a research assistant at BIBA, where I had been a student. At that time, it wasn’t easy because I only had a bachelor’s degree, and those positions were often only available to master’s graduates. However, I was given the opportunity on the condition that I continued my studies. I learned a lot, so it quickly became clear to me: “Okay, now you have formally fulfilled everything to be a scientist and take the next step.” It was natural for me to eventually consider pursuing a doctorate. I completed my PhD in 2016 and held various positions at the institute, first as a senior engineer and then as a department head. After 15 years at the institute, an opportunity arose to take on a management role at a continuing education provider, which was also a project partner in my Palme project that I had supervised as a student, thus bringing things full circle.

So, my studies, as well as my time at BIBA, enabled a lot for my career, and during that time, I met many people whom I now have the privilege of accompanying or who accompany me. This network in Bremen is fantastic, and it led to the opportunity to join the Digital Hub Industry to coordinate the AI Transfer Center. I have been doing this since August 1st, and I can draw a lot from my time at the institute.

What was the most formative aspect of your time at the University of Bremen?

The most formative experience was… I studied in department 3, and it was fascinating how there was a level playing field between professors and students. Everything was very pleasant, very familial, and it was always about truly understanding things. I still remember one exaination. The lecturer rummaged in his shirt pocket, pulled out a mobile phone, placed it on the table, and said: “Explain to me what happens inside there.” This might sound easy from the outside, but the questions became increasingly complex, and ultimately, you had to explain technical relationships, diving deeper into the understanding of the connections. I was fascinated that the knowledge from our studies was not assessed in written form but through so-called expert discussions. I hadn’t experienced that before, and I must say, it was more beneficial for me than writing written papers.

There’s another thing. It was an international study program, and we had to – we had to – go abroad according to the examination regulations. Today I say I was fortunate to go abroad; it was the best time ever, and I had the opportunity to study for a semester at Trinity College in Dublin. I wouldn’t want to miss that time, and yes, without the University of Bremen or without studying media informatics, I probably would never have taken this path.

What do you still associate with the University and the city of Bremen today?

A lot. I live in the district of Horn, close to uni and so I’m allowed to work in the district in which I live. I believe that’s not a given. Thus, I actually associate the university positively with my life. I’ve never gone further than Bremen, except for Ireland. But I was born in Bremen, I went to school here, completed my training, and studied here, so I connect a lot with Bremen. We have many negative headlines in the press, no question, we have problems here. But we can’t always just complain; we also need to take action, and each of us has a role in making Bremen a bit more attractive. We need to showcase our strengths more effectively so that people from outside Bremen, from the other 15 federal states, look at Bremen, come here, and say, “Wow, Bremen is really cool!” The University of Bremen has developed tremendously. We have significant topics in AI and health where we have international visibility, and we shouldn’t hide from that. We’re doing really amazing things. We build cars, we used to build ships—still do—we build rockets, we build airplanes, we work on IT projects, we build satellites; it’s very diverse, and Bremen also has an industrial history connected to that.

Here at the Digital Hub Industry, the goal is to further strengthen the industrial sectors and digitalization in Bremen so that we maintain our attractiveness as a location and can keep people in Bremen, rather than just qualifying them at our universities and other educational institutions, only for them to leave afterward. We need to retain talent here, which also involves creating an attractive location and having the corresponding jobs.

What advice would you give to today's students?

That’s a very good question. I generally recommend to young people—not just students—to do what they are passionate about and what truly fulfills them, because I believe that work and life always go hand in hand. You can’t separate them. I suggest considering whether you might want to do something else before starting a degree, rather than going straight back to school and studying. There’s the option of a voluntary social year, and I would advise them to use this time after 12 or 13 years of school to find themselves before making a decision that can shape their lives. I chose training back then because I thought I was someone who wanted to do something practical, but later it became clear that I was more interested in the question of why. Therefore, I can only tell all young people: “Why not start with an apprenticeship and then decide if you want to study afterward?”