Interning at BMW Group + Being an Industrial Designer
I want to start by welcoming you to the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy, and to our series of blogs. I hope that my posts will be beneficial from a content point of view - to provide some useful information and a unique perspective, but also to help you get to know me a little better.
Interning at one of the world’s biggest automotive companies
My BMW journey started in late 2018, in the week before my graduation from QUT. I got a very unexpected phone call from Michael that basically went “Raf wants us to apply for a BMW internship next year, he thinks we’d be a good fit. What do you think?” I will admit it took me a good week of intense consideration before saying yes, and mentally committing myself to applying and having to live in Munich for the best part of a year if I was accepted. Fast forward just over a year and as I sit here now, I can honestly say that it was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I took the BMW internship as an opportunity to learn new skills, new technology, a new language (except that bit didn’t really happen…) and overall to grow as a designer. Interning at BMW taught me that you truly never know what is around the corner, and that saying yes to an opportunity of a lifetime, even when you are hiding how nervous you really are, is a good idea.
If I had to pick a few key things that I got out of my experience at BMW, it would be firstly that it helped me learn to work under pressure in a real world context with real world consequences. Michael would be able to back me up when I say that we quite often found ourselves in the deep end, in a ‘sink or swim’ situation. While I wouldn’t say I’m perfect under pressure, I certainly became a bit more used to working under tight deadlines and figuring things out on the fly. Secondly, the BMW internship reinforced to me that there is no harm in having a go and giving it 100%. There were so many parts of the work I was not expecting or experienced with, but the point of an opportunity like this is to learn, and give it your best. Lastly, I want to mention that teamwork and collaboration is essential. Not just ideal, but essential. Throughout the entire internship I was working in a team, where everyone had the same objective. Within that are the ‘sub-teams’ – for example Michael and myself as the designers. Michael and I had to do a lot of problem solving, troubleshooting and project work, and having 2 people to tackle that (rather than one) makes it much more achievable. My BMW experience opened me up to a whole new industry and range of programs. For this I am grateful because it has allowed me to expand my skillset and knowledge base, which therefore widens my opportunities for work in future.
Choosing a career in Industrial Design
In high school I really enjoyed both Graphics and Technology Studies subjects, so naturally I elected to study Industrial Design at university. As I progressed through my course and learnt more about Industrial Design (ID), I realised it was definitely the career path for me. ID gives me the ability to solve problems, enhance experiences for people in a variety of situations and make a significant difference for people – all of which I enjoy doing and want to keep doing. This is how I defined my personal motto and aim as an Industrial Designer – ‘to create positive and meaningful experiences’. Studying ID has also given me a skillset that allows me to work in different industries, in avenues that are utilising cutting-edge technologies to solve problems in an innovative way. For example, the work I am currently involved in through the Special Projects program of the Academy – while I can’t go into details about the projects I can say are not your typical ID project. However we are still using core ID skills like analytical thinking, problem solving, high-end visualisation and creativity.
Parting thoughts
For any current QUT design student reading this, I want to say that if you are considering an internship at BMW Group in Munich it is an amazing learning experience. I can only speak for myself, but I certainly did not regret going to Germany. Likewise, if you have any thoughts about doing an internship at the Academy (to initiate the pathway to Germany) it is worth applying. We have some awesome projects and topics to choose from, each helping you to strengthen, sharpen or expand your soft and technical skills as a designer.
I hope you are as excited about the BMW Group + QUT Design Academy as we are. I look forward to what’s to come and sharing this experience with you all.
Cheers,
Jordan Domjahn
Design Associate