"I had a really good education!"

Johannes Krutz is just coming into the student canteen for our interview after his last exam. So that was his first semester in the master’s program in Mechanical Engineering. It went by pretty quickly—just like this master’s program in general. Johannes Krutz is doing the short version, which lasts a year and a half—a mere three semesters—one of which is devoted to his Master's thesis. The engineering graduate is 24, comes from Sohland an der Spree, and is temporarily living with his parents again. “It’s a shorter commute to work, ” says Johannes Krutz, who works as a student employee at ATN Hölzel GmbH in Oppach, a company specializing in adhesive and automation technology.

ATN, as both a company and a partner firm from Johannes Krutz’s diploma program, has remained his employer to this day. “I have a lot of flexibility—though I don’t have to, especially not during exam periods—to work up to 20 hours a week at the company in Oppach, ” says Johannes Krutz. “I’ve been at ATN for five years now—not full-time, but still—and I’m now getting my feet wet in the project business as a working student. I like to watch how my colleagues tackle and solve problems, ask questions, and also scrutinize processes. More of a silent observer, ” he laughs. It’s good to picture: At first glance, Johannes Krutz seems very reserved, unflappable, and subtle—with reddish hair, glasses, and a slender build. As the saying goes, still waters run deep.
Johannes Krutz chose the KIA (sandwich-style) degree course at HSZG, a dual university program that integrates vocational training and leads to two degrees: a skilled-worker certification and a university degree—almost a rarity that can now only be found at HSZG.

“It’s good that the university in Zittau offers such a broad range of academic disciplines.” He first heard about the KIA program at an education fair and was immediately excited—a degree program with integrated vocational training. “Looking back, it was the best choice for me, ” he says.

Johannes Krutz has already received the Germany Scholarship multiple times. The Germany Scholarship supports students whose track record suggests they will achieve outstanding achievements in both their studies and their careers. Recipients receive 300 euros per month—half from the federal government and the other half from private donors. Good grades and academic performance are just as important as a willingness to take on responsibility or successfully overcoming obstacles in one’s personal and educational journey. His social involvement takes place primarily in the church community in his hometown and through youth work. Johannes Krutz also plays guitar and piano in three different bands, with regular rehearsals. He’ll soon be moving to Löbau with his girlfriend—her grandmother just turned 90 and needs more and more help in her large building, “even though she still drives, ” laughs Johannes Krutz. So the two young people are converting the attic into an apartment and will be able to lend a hand to the 90-year-old at the same time. It’s also not far from Löbau to ATN.
Johannes Krutz found the practical aspects of his studies in Zittau to be good: hands-on lab sessions and experiments that allowed him to see and understand connections—not just dry theory. And: the small class size of just 18 students in his Diplom degree programme. “I was right in the thick of things, ” and perhaps he also means to say: at a larger university, he would have gotten a bit lost among the hundreds of students in the lecture hall. After all, reserved people in particular benefit from a close-knit atmosphere on campus.

“People here always say, ‘Zittau is what you make of it,’ and I think they’re right: you can party, or study, or do both, or get out into nature,” he says. Johannes Krutz would sometimes take his laptop to Olbersdorfer Lake—especially during the pandemic—and watch his lectures from there. Back then, he enjoyed the small house parties, close friends, a few beers, and some home-cooked meals. Now the center of his life has shifted back to Sohland, partly because he doesn’t have to be in Zittau as often for his master’s program. “I never really wanted to move away from home—so sure, Chemnitz, Dresden, Freiberg, any of those would have been fine, but I would never have gone to the West. I have a lot of friends back home and a good connection to my hometown. I wouldn’t have wanted to give that up for college, ” he says. In Zittau, Johannes Krutz always got where he wanted to go quickly—in both senses of the word. Maybe not a great free spirit—but always right on target.

Text: Sophie Herwig