From an old excavator to a degree in mechanical engineering

Lasse Wack, who is currently studying for a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, reports that his course gives him a broad base - and the career prospects are correspondingly varied. He sums up: "The course is cool. I am very satisfied." He recommends that prospective students and first-year students gain practical experience as early as possible - as a student assistant, for example.

If you ask Lasse Wack why he decided to study mechanical engineering, he has to smile, because he immediately comes up with a fitting anecdote: Together with his family, he renovated an old farmhouse a few years ago. "At some point, my dad wanted to refurbish an old excavator." Lasse Wack researched in detail how the old machine could be reactivated: "That was fun. And it made it clear to me what I wanted to study." He enrolled on the Bachelor's degree course in Mechanical Engineering at RPTU. The closest university for this subject - from the perspective of a Saarlander.

Broad basic knowledge: The mechanical engineering course has a bit of everything

A decision he has never regretted: "The course is cool. I'm very satisfied." Why does he like it? What is special about his subject? "It has a bit of everything. It's wide-ranging, you get a lot of basic knowledge." The Bachelor's students' curriculum includes the development, design and operation of systems, machines and technical products of all kinds - throughout their entire life cycle. Lasse Wack: "We have mechanics, thermodynamics, materials science, production engineering, electrical engineering, design theory and machine elements." The most important contents of the engineering sub-disciplines - taught in a seven-semester degree program.

Specializations can be chosen from as early as the fifth semester

From the fifth semester onwards, you can also choose your own specialization, adds the 24-year-old. Product development, automotive engineering, materials science and materials engineering, production engineering, computational engineering, applied computer science, mechatronics and automation technology are all available. The specializations in turn form the basis for the postgraduate Master's degree programs. Lasse Wack is specializing in mechatronics and automation. His upcoming Bachelor's thesis will also be anchored in this area: "I don't know exactly what the topic will be yet. Maybe it will be about automating a test bench."

But for all his enthusiasm, surely there are also challenging aspects to his studies? "The fact that mechanical engineering is so wide-ranging can sometimes be difficult. Because there are always parts that don't suit you. But if you sit down and do something, it's all doable."

From the automotive industry to aerospace: the professional future is diverse

He doesn't yet have a "specific idea" about his professional future, says Lasse Wack, who would definitely like to do a Master's degree after completing his Bachelor's degree. "I would be interested in many things." Possible fields of work with a corresponding degree are design, research and development. "There are also various sub-areas here, such as the development of pumps." Aerospace or the automotive industry could also be possible fields of work later on.

Gain practical experience as a student assistant

And what should prospective students know? What's the best way to start studying? Lasse Wack recommends accepting a position as a student assistant at the Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering as early as possible - a so-called Hiwi position - and helping out directly in the laboratory, for example: "This is a good opportunity to put what you have learned during your studies into practice. And you can make contacts in the department at the same time."

He adds that it is also important to join a study group: "That makes a lot of things easier." According to Lasse Wack, the basic internship, for which you theoretically have until the sixth semester, should be completed as early as possible: "You spend six weeks in a company, perhaps in a metalworking shop." This is where you learn important skills: "Welding or pressing, for example." It's good to familiarize yourself with these basics as early as possible. "And that also takes the time pressure out of the entire course."

Enthusiasm for machines

What personal requirements should you have? "You should be motivated and enjoy mathematics and physics." The Bachelor's student adds: "I keep noticing that many of my fellow students have an enthusiasm for machines." This is exactly what Lasse Wack has - once awakened by an old excavator.