Employee interview
Vivien Schwellinger


,,HAVE ARRIVED AT MY JOB”

Vivien bei der Arbeit…
… und ihrer Freizeit

Vivien Schwellinger (20) works as an industrial mechanic at Klöckner DESMA Elastomertechnik GmbH in Fridingen on the Danube in Baden-Württemberg. Vivien realized early on that she wanted to learn something technical or some craftsmanship after school. In an interview, she tells us what she particularly likes about her job and what else she does when she’s not working with big machines.


VIVIEN, WHAT DID YOU LEARN AND WHAT HAPPENED AFTERWARDS?

From September 2017 to February 2021, I did an apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic here at the company – right after completing my

education at school. Fresh out of training I was subsequently taken over and now work in our mold making department.

WHAT CAREER DID YOUR PARENTS HAVE IN MIND FOR YOU?

As long as I enjoy my work and I am happy, they are happy with whatever I do for a living, they said. My dad would have been happy if I had done an

apprenticeship as a farmer, because we run a farm at home. But he only ever says that as a joke (laughs).

WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT YOUR WORK?

Oh, there are definitely quite a few things. Above all, I personally love the variety of my tasks and to see what I have accomplished at the end of the day. Every day I have my personal goal in mind to become even better and to learn something new. I also have super nice colleagues with whom I can laugh a lot and who always help me by answering my questions. My instructors and my “fellow trainees” always had an open ear, too. They showed me, as did my colleagues, that a woman can also learn such a profession without any problems. I have never felt uncomfortable or out

of place here, rather the opposite. When I started my training, I was naturally worried about what it would be like to work as the only girl amongst boys. But this worry was already forgotten after one or two weeks, I had/have a great team and simply a wonderful time. I would learn this profession in this company any time again! In my opinion, more young people should definitely enter skilled trades as well, since they are our future. We need thinkers, but also doers!

WHAT TOOLS AND MATERIALS DO YOU WORK WITH AND ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL FEATURES IN YOUR JOB?

I work here with all the usual tools of this profession, and also – for finishing work – with the lathe, the grinder and the drill. The material is mainly steel. What I find particularly good at DESMA is that our workwear

is  provided and even washed. In addition, I can arrange my working hours quite flexibly, which is very important to me and which I definitely appreciate.

WHAT TOPIC COULD YOU GIVE A 30-MINUTE PRESENTATION ON WITHOUT ANY PREPARATION?

About how a completed product is created. From the idea to the implementation. The planning, modification, design, machining the

workpieces, assembling them, testing and testing. You could probably even wake me up at night and I could give a presentation (laughs).

Vivien, what else do you do ?

In my private life, I spend a lot of time at home on our farm. That’s a great balance to me, working with animals, nature and technology. I’m also a member of the music club, enjoy photography and one of my

greatest hobbies is riding my motorbike. When I’m not on the road with my bike in the district of Tuttlingen, I like to watch documentaries on TV about true events.

IF YOU HAD A YEAR “OFF”, WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Definitely traveling. Not a recreational vacation in the classic sense, but real travelling in a foreign country. I wouldn’t choose the ‘typical’ travel destinations like New York or Paris. To me, only pure nature like it is in

Iceland, New Zealand, Canada and other countries would come into question here.

ONE FINAL QUESTION: WHAT DO YOU LIKE MOST ABOUT THE CITY/REGION YOU LIVE IN?

The countryside and the beautiful nature. And our dialect, of course (grins). And if you can combine life here with your dream job, everything somehow fits together perfectly.