Mr. Thorsten Lang, graduate of the Innovation Management program.
1. What is your career path? Could you tell us something about your motorsport career?
2. What is your current profession?
Currently, I am the IT Director at the Hire a Doctor Group.
Previously, I was the Head of Software Development at a medium-sized company in Landau.
3. What does your daily work routine look like?
4. Why did you choose to study Motorsport Management at the University
of Kaiserslautern?
I pondered for a long time about what to do after a technical education and a "technical" bachelor's degree. I decided that a "technical" master's degree wouldn't benefit me. Since the topics of digitalization and "innovations" and thus innovation management are related, I opted for an MBA with a focus on innovation management.
Since I already completed my bachelor's degree at HS KL and was very satisfied, it was a natural choice to pursue my master's there. Another factor was the proximity to my place of residence, just around 70km away.
I haven't regretted my decision.
5. How did you become aware of this program?
I had previously completed my bachelor's degree at HS KL and naturally looked there first to see what programs were available. I compared it with offerings from other universities and decided that this program suited me the best.
6. How is the distance learning program structured in terms of time and organization for you?
Thanks to my part-time bachelor's program, I could estimate what to expect. Moreover, the lectures on Fridays and Saturdays were always well attended. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they were held online, which was okay. The lecturers adapted well to the situation. In fact, online sessions provided a bit more flexibility since I didn't have to travel to the university and could manage other appointments on the same day.
I typically allocated evenings and weekends for studying the module content. It was also feasible to take study materials as reading material on vacations. The time investment was slightly higher for me in the case of business-related subjects since my previous education had focused on IT. Staying consistent and not procrastinating was helpful.
To spread out the modules and exams, I took advantage of the opportunity to complete one module or the exam ahead of the next semester. This was more optimally organized during my bachelor's program, as there was always one module followed by an exam/presentation/lecture, and then the next module started.
7. Which lecture or seminar do you particularly fondly remember, and why?
Especially the modules in the advanced studies on innovation management and the Master Seminar ISPIM.
8. What has been the most interesting for you so far, and which content can you directly apply in your professional environment?
The approach to innovation management and the processes can also be applied in the IT sector.
The in-depth management topics from the foundational studies are also beneficial.
9. What are your career plans?
Good question. Let's see what exciting challenges come my way.
10. Any additional comments?
There was no boring content.