Out of the European Bubble–Into New Perspectives

Christopher Lange, Startup Consultant at Technologiepark Weinberg Campus

I am very grateful for my experiences in Villach. In a very short time, I enjoyed a high-quality academic program there alongside inspiring people, formed great friendships, and still managed to learn many valuable lessons. Above all, however–and contrary to my initial expectations–the experience was refreshingly intercultural.

Professionally, the German-born consultant now works as a startup consultant at the build! startup center in Klagenfurt. Before pursuing his master’s degree at CU Carinthia University of Applied Sciences, he worked in marketing and cost estimation at Ortner Reinraumtechnik and, while at FLEXIVA in his native Germany, was responsible not only for sales and marketing but also for business development within the company’s R&D department at the time. He sought to build upon that practical experience through his studies. And so it came to pass that Lange enrolled in the Master’s program in Business Development & Management at the Villach campus in 2017.

During his studies, Lange decided to pursue an MBA program. He completed it as part of an exchange program through the degree program in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. One of the reasons behind this decision was to step outside the European “bubble” for a short time. “I definitely succeeded in doing that with my study abroad experience,” he concludes positively.

In general, this globetrotter–who lives in Slovenia–has achieved a great deal. His thesis is titled “Cognitive Biases in Visualizations: Illusory Correlations in the Context of Dashboard-Based Data Visualizations.”

He highly recommends studying at CU Carinthia University of Applied Sciences to everyone because it “definitely covered the many facets of business development by integrating theoretical foundations with practical applications.” Participation in the lectures was also a very positive experience. Even with topics he wasn’t particularly interested in, the teaching methods managed to spark his interest.