Alumni Prof. Dr. Tobias Müller
When I came to Heidelberg it was for the sole purpose of writing my PhD. I didn’t yet know what exactly to write about and how this all might work, but I was really keen on finding out. And for me, the best place to start was Heidelberg because here we find the longest tradition of Gerontology as a scientific discipline in Germany (which is in fact really not that long, but anyways). I became officially a PhD student but wasn’t lucky enough to also get a job at my faculty. So I was an extern, which meant that I couldn’t participate in all this cool in-group activities within the staff and the “intern” PhD students, and that I wouldn’t profit from informal talks during lunchtime etc. And after a while I felt that I really need to connect to other PhD students, not necessarily to discuss Gerontology but to share experiences, happy moments and frustration with the PhD writing process.
I was lucky that a friend pointed me to HGGS. I applied and that changed a lot for me. I quickly met a bunch of people that struggled in the same ways I did… but were also highly motivated and liked to have fun! Being part of a PhD-student-group somehow fueled my writing process. We discussed a lot about our ideas, methods and first outcomes, and very often during an evening these meetings would evolve into wine-drinking fun time and dancing… which sometimes again sparked some great ideas.
But also the HGGS itself had a direct impact on my thoughts and work. Sharing ideas with various other disciplines helped broaden my view. And there was always the opportunity to pitch ideas for workshops and guest speakers, which led to great new insights and networks.
So, to sum it up, HGGS played a vital role in my PhD process. Would I have accomplished my PhD without HGGS? Probably so, but I’m convinced that it wouldn’t have been even half as much fun and definitely not that enriching from an academic point of view. Because one thing, that is becoming very clear to my with a few years distance, is that learning about other disciplines and being curious about all that stuff that is not you PhD-project is something that will help you for your future career!
After submitting my PhD I figured that I didn’t bring to the table what it takes to pursue a career in academics (e.g. not enough articles written, no official project conducted, …) so I left academia. And then I was a little disappointed that the world wasn’t waiting for a well trained young professional with an expertise in gerontology. On the other hand I also found out that a PhD can open doors, and with a little work experience the chances are not too bad to be on a fast lane for next career steps.
Today I’m a professor for Social Gerontology at a small university of applied sciences in Cologne, a couple of years have passed and I’m still close friends with some of the people I first met in HGGS.
