Silas Mahler completed his Bachelor's degree at the Faculty of Computer Science in 2018 and is in the final stages of his Master's degree. During his studies, he founded the start-up KreInn GmbH.
Which company do you work for?
I am the managing director of KreInn GmbH.
What is your job?
That depends on which company you're talking about. On the one hand, I work for an international company where I advise major customers as a cloud architect and implement highly complex cloud architectures. On the other hand, I look after my start-up, KreInn GmbH, where I manage IT as Managing Director. We develop solutions for small and medium-sized companies - also using state-of-the-art, lightweight cloud technologies - and conduct training courses, seminars and consultations, for example.
What does your typical working day look like?
There is no such thing. A working day can start with breakfast with a customer and end in a "hackathon night" (see also previous projects: dohack.io). Personal flexibility is the most important thing for me personally, so that I can always organize the day myself. Of course, this requires my employees to trust me and vice versa, because I have to delegate. I therefore organize everything via online calendars. In business, it's important to keep an overview.
What moments do you particularly value in your job?
One of the best things is celebrating a team success. IT is actually always teamwork. Lone wolves are out of place. It's just nice to see that you can build something with hard, honest work, because there are a lot of black sheep in IT. I'm always happy when I can offer my customers genuine expertise with a clear conscience.
What is your superpower?
A huge strength is my organizational talent. From events like the Do!Hack hackathons or private events with a few hundred people to leading various volunteer positions, working groups, projects, courses and finally an IT company, I've done a lot. I'm also a good listener and have learned a lot rhetorically from my business partner Norbert Burzlaff, who has been self-employed for over 40 years.
How did you start your career and what is your tip for our students?
My career entry, if you want to call it that, was smooth. I recommend every student to start a job in their field as early as possible. I started in the second semester in the SEELab research group at the Institute for the Digital Transformation of Application and Living Domains (IDiAL). The important thing is to simply get your foot in the door. The rest comes naturally with a little ambition. If you want to.
What is your best memory from your time studying at Fachhochschule Dortmund?
There are quite a few: Living in the hall of residence right next to the university, for example with its pubs. The student council of our faculty with its regulars' tables, events and first-year trips. I met friends for life at both. Good lectures, especially in the elective area. Some incredibly committed lecturers who attended our events themselves or showed the necessary rigor, but were never unfair. So you can be proud of your degree.
Further information:
The startup KreInn was founded in spring 2017 in the seminars offered by Norbert Burzlaff at the Faculty of Computer Science at Fachhochschule Dortmund.
KreInn GmbH offers professional IT solutions such as apps, hosting, SEO, digital consulting together with marketing and business management expertise. KreInn GmbH digitizes your company with you.
www.kreinn.de(Opens in a new tab)
www.silas-mahler.de(Opens in a new tab)
