During my studies in automation technology, I became a VDE member and joined the university group in Kaiserslautern. I helped to organize events and plan excursions and quickly realized how much fun it was to get together with so many different people from so many different industries. That’s what I find so fascinating about electrical engineering – the fact that it connects so many areas of work and life, from medical to communications and energy technology. I then also got involved all over Germany.
In 2023, I went abroad for the first time for VDE Young Net and Next Generation DKE. I gave a presentation in Istanbul about our work with young talent. That was also unforgettable for me because my grandparents are from Turkey. As a “guest worker’s child,” so to speak, I was very touched to give a talk about our work in Germany in my family’s country of origin. The response was incredibly good. VDE Young Net and Next Generation DKE are role models in Europe because we have structured, well-organized work here and people who put their heart and soul into driving it forward.
In the same year, I traveled to Romania with EUREL (the Convention of Electrical, Electronic and Information Technologies Engineers in Europe, editor’s note) and that had a great impact on me. I was fascinated by the country, which hadn’t really been on my radar, and especially by the people I met there: young, motivated engineers who want to make a difference, just like me. What we have in common is that we want to advance technical development – in all countries. When I was asked on site whether I would represent Germany on the EUREL Young Engineers Panel (YEP), I had to say yes and volunteered to be the chairman.
I have been in this position for about a year now and I really enjoy connecting the young representatives from all over Europe, including Israel. I see it as my task to strengthen our connection and our understanding. It is important to me that we share and impart knowledge as an electrotechnical community – regardless of our particular political or economic interests. The fact that the work can be done almost exclusively online and in English was a challenge for me at first. But mastering that challenge also helped me in my work as a team leader at BASF. Thanks to my work for VDE Young Net, Next Generation DKE and YEP, I have not only traveled to new countries and gained a great deal of valuable experience for my career; I have also made many friends.
More information about the member countries of EUREL and the offers specifically for students and young professionals:
https://www.vde.com/youngnet-eurel
