Alumnus of the Month - June 2016
Maurice Schaaf
MSc International Business, 2016
Maurice Schaaf is a Business Analyst at Digital Detox and before studying at LSBU he’d completed both a German and a French BA in Business Administration. He was excited to study at postgraduate level and discover the vibrant and exciting opportunities London had to offer. It wasn’t long before one such opportunity came his way.
‘With support from the European Union and as part of LSBU’s growing student enterprise offer, while studying I was able to apply for a paid position as a student consultant for London-based SMEs. Feedback from these companies was really positive and this led me to be referred to one of the University’s business tenants, Digital Detox. I was invited to an interview with them and found myself working part-time initially before a short return to Germany while I completed my Master’s thesis. Since January I’ve been back in London working full-time for Digital Detox".
I was attracted to the company because of their philosophy; it’s very dynamic and unconventional. The company builds websites and applications for digital start-ups and enterprise-level organisations. At its core, DD is a front-end development company but we offer many other services as well, such as prototyping, experience and visual design alongside back-end development and hosting. Besides that we also build and sell our own products.
The people I work with are great; they are open-minded, creative and easy going but at the same time highly professional. The work environment is excellent – we have great new office and a strong company culture. Also, because Digital Detox is still a small company I have a variety of different tasks and responsibilities, which makes the role very interesting as I can learn many things from scratch. There are certainly no average days here – every day something new or unexpected can happen.
As the company’s Business Analyst I’m mainly involved in process analysis and compliance work but also in several web development projects and other interesting tasks - my job here is very diverse. I’m also glad I came back to London as I really enjoy the multi-cultural vibe of this city – it’s literally a melting pot of cultures where you regularly meet and interact with people from all over the world. Furthermore, happiness and flexibility are very important to me, so whilst I might be able to earn more in a larger company, I can clearly see the benefits and career development opportunities here at Digital Detox.
My advice to current students is to be honest, think logically and act professionally. However, most importantly don’t value salary over happiness – you will be much more successful in a job you love rather than one you actually don't like.’