Voluntary Year in Technology, Science and Sustainability (FJN)

Classically, I knew I wanted to study natural sciences because I had a passion for all natural sciences during my school years, but the options were so diverse that I couldn’t decide. I knew I needed more time to think about which direction I wanted to go.

Originally, I wanted to do a voluntary social year abroad, without any specific ideas – the main thing was to get far away, meet new people and cultures, become more independent, and do something for the common good. Then I wondered if that would even make sense for me, as there is often a lack of connection to natural sciences abroad, and I might not make any progress in finding my field of study. Time was also pressing, as the high school final exams were approaching, so one afternoon during a free period in the “media room” of my old high school, I researched whether there was also a voluntary year with a focus on natural sciences. And indeed, I was referred to a website of the IJGD, which offered a rather niche program, the FJN. I thought it would be a perfect fit and applied that same day. On that particular day, I submitted my online application with general information, resume, transcript, etc. via the website and received feedback within a few weeks that I had apparently landed in the pool of selected candidates. This was followed by a list of various placement opportunities, which ranged from research institutions and educational institutions to workspaces, and for which one had to reapply individually. My choice included the DLR School_Lab at the TU Hamburg. So, after a letter of motivation and a few emails, I traveled 400 km north for an interview and received confirmation of my current placement the following day.

I spent my FJN at the DLR School_Lab at the TU Hamburg. The DLR_School_Labs are student laboratories of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). They enable school classes to conduct exciting experiments in the fields of spaceflight, aviation, energy, transport, and robotics under the guidance of researchers, students, and also volunteers like myself. These are educational offerings of the DLR as part of talent promotion, with the goal of inspiring young people for research. There are School_Lab locations directly at DLR research sites and student laboratories at universities, such as the one at the TU Hamburg. The experiments are location-specific – my placement covers the profiles of aviation, shipping, and renewable energies. Therefore, my main task is to supervise small groups of school classes, conduct experiments, impart knowledge, and provide space for self-discovery. This naturally includes the preparation and follow-up of experiments, as well as the organizational framework around them. Additionally, I can attend university events (including lectures and courses) at any time, projects like 3D printing, programming with Arduino, etc., or gain insights into other School_Labs, affiliated technical institutes such as: Construction and strength of ships or technical biocatalysis, etc.

The seminars every two months, in particular, remain very memorable. Through the seminars, you get to know the other FJN volunteers and visit many different placement sites, so you get a broad insight into various fields of natural sciences outside of your own. Additionally, the locations are always different, so you get to see a lot of Germany. Among other places, we were in Hamburg itself, but also in Kiel and Berlin.

Since the School_Lab director Bjarne Wiegard himself has a connection to the Institute for Construction and Strength of Ships, I was able to learn surprisingly much about life and work on board a ship. This included tours through the research laboratory, stories from his own professional career, and conversations with other scientific staff who were happy to share their projects and experiments with curious people. Less surprisingly, but still noteworthy, is that my social skills, especially my didactic abilities, have improved. You are around people a lot, whether on a regular workday, at an external event, or at the seminars. You learn to impart knowledge to different age groups in your own way, and especially at my placement, at your own pace, and to take responsibility.

As already mentioned, I gained deep insight into various institutes and thus also professional fields that require either vocational training or a university degree. Since institutes are centers of people who have largely completed their career orientation, be it the project manager, the electrician, or the doctoral student, exciting conversations arise from this, providing plenty of inspiration for oneself.

Since I moved to a foreign city 400 km away from my hometown for my FJN, the surrounding conditions also helped me gain independence and a greater sense of responsibility. Primarily, through the FJN, I have become much more open and confident in dealing with strangers. Even during my school years, I was enthusiastic about all natural science subjects and couldn’t decide which one I preferred, so I pursued all the classic culprits until graduation. The voluntary year clearly focused on physics, which I also enjoyed immensely, but I personally missed biology and chemistry a lot. Therefore, I realized that I wanted to study in as interdisciplinary a way as possible. After months of exchange and research, my considerations led me to the “Molecular Life Sciences” degree program, in which all natural sciences come together methodologically and content-wise to holistically analyze molecular mechanisms of life and understand them with modern research approaches.

To be honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy working with students so much. I thought I would definitely go into research after my studies, but I can imagine revisiting pedagogy in the future with a professorship, as I have learned to appreciate imparting knowledge and exchanging perspectives so much. I prefer older classes, with whom you can go into more detail, but even primary school classes are fun from time to time, despite definitely requiring more effort. You can already see that they are growing up in a completely different world than I did, and that was only 9 years ago. Nevertheless, you feel this childlike enthusiasm and the all-encompassing interest in the simplest things, which can be lost over the years. To witness this so unfiltered, from one day to the next, is always eye-opening.

When I read the question, I was initially confused because I didn’t encounter any surprise or even disadvantage due to my gender during my voluntary year. It didn’t even occur to me. After thinking about it for a moment, I understand the origin of this question; it’s true that scientific fields are still male-dominated. I experience this particularly at the Technical University, which mainly offers engineering degree programs. In this context, I also realized that I was the first female employee at my placement site in at least 5 years. Nevertheless, I feel very welcome everywhere and not treated any differently. The trend towards not only actual equality in scientific fields but also mental equality is one hundred percent promoted and welcomed here.

I would recommend the FJN 100 percent to anyone enthusiastic about natural sciences. You don’t have to be interested in all areas, as there are such specific placement offers that there is something for everyone. As mentioned, you don’t necessarily have to work with students; you can also conduct direct research on samples with a scientific team and much more. It’s worth taking a look at what’s possible. It not only gives you time to think about where you want to go, but you also gain so many impressions and meet incredibly cool people if you embrace it and are motivated to make the most of the time. Specifically at my placement, or at other DLR student laboratories, you should naturally enjoy engaging with various topics and at least not have an aversion to children. During my school years, I always said I could never be a teacher, and now I’ve been doing exactly that for a year. I wanted to leave my comfort zone and try new things; you should be prepared for that, and then you’re already doing quite well.

Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t plan that far into the future and so far, I’ve managed quite well with the tactic of deciding in the moment what feels right. Applying for the FJN was quite spontaneous, and the decision to move to Hamburg was perhaps made somewhat recklessly, some would say. In five years, I might be in the middle of my master’s degree, still in Hamburg, maybe a semester abroad, or after my bachelor’s, perhaps an apprenticeship first. Either way, I’m looking forward to the time ahead and the opportunity to develop further.

I think I made exactly the right choice for myself with my placement. For me, there were no major difficulties, apart from the usual lack of motivation to get up at 6 a.m. That’s actually my own fault, as I need an hour to get to work and also like to have a leisurely breakfast. In the team, I only encountered friendly souls; the collaboration was consistently smooth. Of course, a visit can sometimes be a bit chaotic, but everything is handled in a relaxed and humorous way here. There are times when you wonder why you have to entertain an explosive primary school class for the third time this week, but usually, it’s rewarding to send the students home with a lot of enthusiasm. On the other hand, there are also older classes where you try to elicit just a spark of enthusiasm – it’s a spectrum, and everything is represented. Between the two extremes, we also have super-informed and interested school classes of all ages visiting us. Among them are students who already know everything and conduct the station for me. This makes it all the more varied, consistently challenging, and exciting.

From my sponsoring organization, IJGD, I receive a monthly pocket money of 498 Euros. Together with the child benefit of 250 Euros, which I am still entitled to, it is still not enough to cover housing and living costs, especially in Hamburg. Therefore, I received housing benefit for the duration of my voluntary year, which covers the majority of my housing costs, and thus one manages quite well. This is mainly because I happened to move to a big city – many other volunteers also continue to live with their parents, thus saving on rent and sometimes even food. If you really want it, you can manage everything somehow. The part with the pocket money is also the same for other models of voluntary year. This can range between 400 and 700 Euros, but sometimes accommodation is provided, which was not the case for my FJN. I had to take care of that entirely myself.