Academy Interviews

Christopher Kaiser, an IT administrator at the Südholstein Wastewater Association, subsequently completed the Empirum I and II training courses at our Academy, making the long trip from Lübeck to do so. We asked him about his motivation, his overall impressions, and his personal thoughts.

Christopher, just like often have you already already a training from Consulting4IT took part and why did you decided for us ?

I’ve been there twice now and will definitely attend more training sessions. The decision was primarily made by our department head. He hasn’t been in the position for very long and wanted to switch service providers because we weren’t satisfied with the previous one. I hadn’t had much experience with Empirum before, so I was eager to attend a training session on it. The options on the table were to do the training directly with Matrix42 or with Consulting4IT. We had already had some initial experience with Consulting4IT and had formed a positive impression. So I went to Waldbronn for the first training session and was so enthusiastic that I immediately asked internally if I could attend the follow-up training two weeks later. Fortunately, my request was granted.

Have you already at other service providers a training attended and if yes, how is differ the training concept from Consulting4IT Academy?

Yes, I’ve taken other training courses on various IT-related topics before. However, there really are huge differences here. Many of those courses were held exclusively online. I remember one where the virtual environment was so poor that it was absolutely impossible to work with, so I ended up doing everything on my own computer. Another time, the instructor was so poorly prepared and incompetent that hardly anything came of it. During the training, many things simply didn’t work. At Consulting4IT, you can attend in person or online; the trainers are well-prepared and convey their expertise competently.

Self-study vs. Academy – how do you rate do the effectiveness of both options?

Of course, there’s no getting around self-study. But for me, the Academy means laying the ideal foundation so that I can really make progress later on in practice, following the “learning by doing” approach. Plus, by participating in the Academy training sessions, I have the opportunity to bring specific questions or problems from my day-to-day work and discuss them with the expert. And if I ever get stuck later on, I know I can always turn to Consulting4IT for help. By the way: Before I joined the Academy, Matrix42 didn’t really impress me, but now I think it’s pretty cool. Compared to various competing products, Empirum offers many advantages and cool features that I wouldn’t have realized without talking to the trainer. So, through the Academy and a good trainer, it’s entirely possible to overcome reservations and instead discover the benefits for your own work. That certainly wouldn’t have been possible through self-study alone.

Do you know do the hybrid system of the Academy? Which Training format (Oonline / In-person) do you prefer ? and why?

So far, I’ve only ever attended in-person sessions because I find them much more beneficial. In addition to the excellent food, I especially appreciate the personal conversations with trainers, other participants, and other Consulting4IT staff members, who are also happy to join in during breaks. In addition to the knowledge gained from the training sessions themselves, this allows for an exchange of experiences that I wouldn’t have—or at least not in this form—at an online event.

Would you you you consider real fan – and if yes, what was the decisive factor for your enthusiasm?

Well, “fan” might not be the right word, but I’m fundamentally convinced of and enthusiastic about the Academy. From the very beginning, I especially liked the atmosphere throughout the entire company. You can tell that the employees enjoy working at Consulting4IT. They foster a dynamic and authentic sense of camaraderie, and you immediately feel at home. Another thing I found very positive was the visit by Managing Director Mirko Oesterhaus to one of the training sessions. He simply stopped by one afternoon to introduce himself and chat with us—on a personal level and in a very friendly manner. In my opinion, this not only expresses great appreciation for the clients but also impressively demonstrates the importance the Academy holds within the company.