Automotive Engineering is undergoing an exciting phase of transformation, thanks to breakthrough technologies such as mechatronics and connected vehicles !
Durgesh Ahire, our next pathbreaker, is currently pursuing his Master of Engineering at Technische Hochschule Ingolstadt (Germany) in International Automotive Engineering.
Durgesh talks to Shyam Krishnamurthy from The Interview Portal about doing a lot of research and opting for a master’s degree in Germany, the mecca of automobiles !
For students, self-belief is the key to achieving your career ambitions no matter how difficult they might seem !
Durgesh,Your background?
I was born in a small village of Nashik district in Maharashtra in the year 2000 and I have a farming background. I did my school education till 10th standard in my village. Since childhood I have been very enthusiastic about machinery, as I belong to a farming background, as mentioned earlier. So, it was very clear in my mind that I will do engineering either in Mechanical or Automobile. After 10th standard (2016), I left my hometown and shifted to Nashik for my further education in Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Sandip Polytechnic, Nashik. I passed out in 2019 and started studying for a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical at Gokhale Education Society, Nashik.
What did you do for graduation / post-graduation?
I did my Diploma in Mechanical Engineering at Sandip Polytechnic, Nashik, and then a BTech in Mechanical at Gokhale Education Society, Nashik
I am currently in Germany, doing my Masters in International Automotive Engineering at the Technical University of Ingolstadt (headquarters of Audi cars).
What were some of the drivers that influenced me to pursue such an offbeat, unconventional and cool career?
When I was in my 2nd year of Engineering, due to the Covid pandemic, I had to shift back to my hometown. At that time, my elder brother, who is also an engineering graduate in Mechanical, faced a lot of problems to find a Job in the core field. This experience made me think deeper about my future/career. Then, I started searching for higher education institutes abroad and found out that Germany provides free education to students, who meet their criteria. After that, I started gathering all the information such as documentation and the total expense I would require for higher studies. Then, in the 3rd year of my graduation, I simultaneously started studying the German language (partially online/offline) and after almost 2 years of constant learning, I passed all the international exams of the language till B2 level. By that time, my graduation was over in 2022 and the covid pandemic too.
How did you plan the steps to get into the career you wanted? Or how did you make a transition to a new career? Tell us about your career path
Immediately after my BTech, I started working at an automotive company to gain some industry experience and simultaneously started applying for master’s courses in Germany. In the first intake itself, I got admitted to a highly ranked public university (no tuition fees) in Germany, Technical University of Ingolstadt for a master’s in International Automotive Engineering.
With the hopes of a successful career and my parents’ dream to see their child touching the sky, I landed in Germany on 30th March 2023, and started my new journey.
The master’s program in International automotive engineering imparts dedicated engineering approaches for the development of automotive mechatronic systems and knowledge for developing automotive electronic systems in general, as well as for vehicle safety systems specifically. The course has 2 different streams (Vehicle safety and vehicle electronics) and students can choose any of these. I personally was more interested in vehicle safety part, and I chose that. The course duration is 3 semesters in total out of which 2 semesters are study based and 1 semester for master thesis. One can extend the course till 5 semesters as well.
After I settled in Germany, I started applying for working student jobs (What is a working student job? = In Germany, students can work 120 days a year in parallel to their studies). In Germany, the interview process in any company itself is a big challenge. Though I had fluency in German language and had some work experience back in India, even after I attended 4 interviews, I unfortunately did not succeed. By that time, I had completed my first semester (again with good grades). But, I did not stop applying for working student job positions, and by god’s grace, I got selected by the BMW Group in Munich, as a working student in Sep 2023. At present, I am in my 2nd semester of master’s and parallelly working at the BMW Group.
Throughout my journey from being a small-town guy to an employee of BMW Group, my family has supported me constantly in making my dream come true.
How did you get your first break?
I did apply to different positions which were related to my course, through linkedin/ xing/ careerportal, I did attend some interviews as well before I got into BMW. Out of those, I cleared one interview in the very second month after I arrived in Germany and they wanted me to shift to their location and I was not ready for that, as I was in the 1st semester of course and I wanted to attend the classes as well.
Universities in Germany do not provide any direct job opportunities directly (I am talking about public universities, private universities might do). They will just provide some letter to apply for internship, only if the internship is mandatory and is part of the course. Students have to search for working student jobs/ internships/ full time job on their own.
What were some of the challenges you faced? How did you address them?
The main challenges I faced were financial, learning the German language and getting good work experience in Germany. So, I addressed both challenges by preparing myself well in advance by doing thorough research.
Where do you work now?
I currently I work at the BMW Group in Munich, Germany
What problems do you solve?
To be precise, I work in the Research and Development department of BMW AG. (because of Data protection policies, I cannot provide more information)
What skills are required for your role? How did you acquire the skills?
The major skill for a foreigner would be language, along with all other technical skills in the engineering field.
Your advice to students based on your experience?
Believe in yourself. As a small-town boy, I never thought I would go abroad or wherever I am. But I think I made it because of consistent efforts and faith in myself. I will advise all the youth that, dream big and do whatever you can to accomplish that. #DreamsDoComeTrue