Sandra Schober – Balancing career, projects and family life
How do you combine a demanding career as a project manager with your role as a mother? Sandra shows that it is possible. Her path at LCM began with an exciting opportunity to write her Master’s thesis – and led her through several career steps to the role of project manager. Today, she combines her expertise in research and project management with flexible working models and a second professional passion. Let her story inspire you!
Sandra, what did your career path at LCM look like and what steps led you to your current role as Project Manager?
I became aware of LCM as an employer because of the company’s location in the Science Park, where there are also lecture rooms for teaching students. I had originally applied for a holiday job, but was then surprisingly offered the opportunity to write a Master’s thesis at the company instead – and said yes without further ado.
After my Master’s thesis, I stayed with the company because I enjoyed the project and felt comfortable at LCM. I became an R&D engineer in the Artificial Intelligence & Data Analytics department. A series of exciting projects followed and after three years, I was offered and funded further training to become a project manager.
During this training, however, my personal life situation changed and I became a mom. So I finished the last module of the course with a baby and babysitter on the doorstep. As my role as a mother is also very important to me, I had another child two years later and took a four-year break from having children. I then returned to work eight hours a week.
To my delight, I was able to take on a project manager role despite the low number of hours per week. At first I thought to myself: is that even possible? But yes – it turned out to be ideal for my workload. Another 3.5 years have now passed and I’m happy to be part of the team for ten hours a week. I’m currently enjoying the variety of two projects and I’m also the project manager for one of them.
What exactly do you do as a project manager and what is particularly important?
In the role of project manager, activities such as submitting offers, approving access authorizations or creating and maintaining documents for written project documentation are required. It is particularly important to always maintain an overview of the budget used and the time frame.
How do you manage to reconcile family and career?
LCM is the perfect employer for me because I can work part-time at LCM and still be assigned challenging tasks like I was before I had children. The option to work from home gives me even more freedom, which I am very grateful for as a mother. The job at LCM also allows me to pursue my self-employment as an energetic therapist on the side. In this way, I have found the perfect balance between working with my head and my heart, so that my professional life fulfills me deeply every day.
Sandra is another example of how LCM supports women on their career path and specifically promotes individual potential. Equal opportunities and the compatibility of career and family are part of everyday practice at LCM. Flexible working time models, further training opportunities and respectful cooperation make it possible for women to achieve their professional goals at every stage of their lives. Be inspired by other success stories – and get to know the women behind LCM.
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