Student, colleague, graduate, lecturer, employer: at 21 of 43, Verena Petro has spent almost half her life at the FH Salzburg. As a manager at Salzburg AG, she relies on colleagues with a sound technical education from the FH. What connects Verena Petro with the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences? "Interesting question - I've never really thought about it like that," laughs the graduate. After her education at the HTL Salzburg and graduation in 1995, only one thing was clear to the Salzburg native: "Away from the school desk, out into the working world!"
When the Telecommunications Technology and Systems degree programme started in 1995 with two semesters, Verena Petro - like many others - was unfamiliar with the still young university of applied sciences sector, which had just been founded. That was soon to change. "After eight months on the job, I had the feeling that this couldn't be it in the long run. I still felt incomplete. Relatively quickly, a new opportunity arose from this thought. A job at the FH Salzburg, at that time still at the Techno-Z in Itzling, and as a supplement, a part-time degree. Young, dynamic, booked."
"With the start in 2000 and four intensive years of part-time studies, I de facto spent six out of seven days a week at the FH Salzburg, and so the FH has become my second home in purely quantitative terms," she sums up her study time at the Techno-Z in Itzling.
The daily interaction with colleagues, students and lecturers had a great impact on me during this time and has grown on me over the years. Not least because I was allowed to participate in the planning and design of the new Urstein campus and thus had the chance to immortalise myself a little bit in the UAS itself".
Standing still has never been Verena's strong point and at the age of 30 she was ready for new challenges. She left the UAS for the time being and was offered a job at one of Austria's largest data centre providers. "Here, too, I met 'my UAS' in the form of former students or lecturers. Combined with a short teaching assignment, the active contact never broke off." It turned out to be seven intense years in the IT industry, during which she was able to further develop herself and plan the next step in her career. This time, an opportunity arose at Salzburg AG, in the field of internet providers. And once again the FH circle comes full circle: "You meet them again: the FH family, former students and familiar faces in the industry," she laughs.
As Head of Telecoms Services at Salzburg AG, she is now on the lookout for talent and well-trained employees:
"In my current role as a manager, I like to rely on colleagues with a sound technical education from the Salzburg University of Applied Sciences. The main focus is on high quality and service for our customers. And we are happy to go down this path with qualified staff.