Marius Wecker (28) can look back on an impressive educational career. After leaving secondary school and completing a craft apprenticeship, he decided to catch up on his A-levels. Today, Marius is studying German and philosophy, holds a scholarship from the Heinrich Böll Foundation and is considering a career at university.
But first things first. When Marius finished secondary school, it was clear to him that his future career would lie in the skilled trades. For the then 16-year-old, it seemed logical to follow in his father's footsteps and also to act in accordance with his other socio-cultural environment. "At that time, an academic career was not on my horizon at all," recalls Marius. He completed his vocational training as an electrician at Paderborn University, where the training workshop became his daily place of learning and work.
"At that time, an academic career was not on my horizon at all."
In spring 2014, at the end of the training period, a constellation arose that Marius describes as fateful from today's perspective: A regular position in another department at the university became available, Marius applied and was turned down - they were looking for a laboratory engineer. "If I had got this job, I would probably still be sitting in this chair today," he says, putting the milestone in context.
Für Marius (28) stand nach seinem Hauptschulabschluss fest: Ich werde Handwerker. Er folgte dem Weg seines Vaters und handelte im Einklang mit seinem sonstigen sozio-kulturellen Umfeld. Im Video gibt er einen Einblick in die scheinbare Alternativlosigkeit und beginnende Selbstzweifel zum Ende seiner Ausbildungszeit.
Escaping the "craft mill"
Marius looked for and found a follow-up job in his trained profession within two months. He also found it pleasant to be immersed in secure, yet autonomous structures with a fixed journeyman's income and his first own apartment. At the same time, doubts nagged at him: "I could never really imagine doing this job for the next few decades. And at some point I realized that it wasn't the company, but the job and the fundamental direction I had chosen that didn't fit." What followed was a process of fundamental reorientation with the aim of escaping the "craft mill", developing myself and doing something socially relevant in the process.
Through a good friend, Marius found out about the possibility of catching up on school qualifications via the second educational pathway. "I didn't know about the second-chance education route and the Westfalen-Kolleg system until then. I quickly realized that it could be just the right thing for me. As I also had the qualification for the Fachoberschulreife, the path was open to me."
A spirit of optimism at Westfalen-Kolleg Dortmund
Marius had a feeling of optimism. After extensive research, in the summer of 2016 he decided against the Westfalen-Kolleg in Paderborn, which was close to home, and opted for Dortmund, one of the largest Westfalen-Kollegs in NRW with a correspondingly broad range of subjects. During this phase, he was also wondering whether he would be able to meet the requirements of the upper secondary school: "At the beginning, I thought that it was important for me to keep up and not lose touch," says Marius, giving an insight into his feelings at the time.
Über einen guten Freund erfuhr Marius von der Möglichkeit, am Westfalen-Kolleg das Abitur nachzuholen. Das Modell überzeugte ihn, Marius entschied sich für den Standort Dortmund. Im Video berichtet er vom Neustart zwischen Euphorie und Respekt, von bereichernden Erfahrungen in allen Lebensbereichen und vom Gefühl, ein 1,0-Abitur geschafft zu haben.
Positive feedback from his teachers quickly showed him that he had every reason to look ahead with optimism and self-confidence: "I felt very comfortable and the results gave me great euphoria in the early days." Marius' career also shows that developing prospects in life requires more than just strong performance. Marius met interesting people, including his partner, with whom he is still together today. "I was enriched in all aspects of life and this in turn had a positive effect on my school performance."
"I was enriched in all aspects of my life during my time at Westfalen-Kolleg Dortmund and this in turn had a positive effect on my academic performance."
At the end of his three-year time at Westfalen-Kolleg Dortmund, in early summer 2019, he graduated with a dream grade of 1.0 and the realization that the reorientation had been absolutely right. His future prospects also became increasingly clear as he progressed through the sixth form: under the encouraging influence of his secondary school teachers in particular, the focus shifted to studying to become a teacher. "Just as my teachers had influenced and encouraged me, I wanted to be a role model for students who had followed a similar path to my own," says Marius, describing his motivation.
Subject selection in exchange with the TalentScout
He was also supported in this phase by his TalentScout Eric. As Marius found it difficult to make a concrete choice of subject, he found it helpful to be given a nudge or two in the direction of the subjects that suited him based on detailed reflection. "My TalentScout was definitely a protagonist in this phase," says Marius, assessing the importance of the counseling sessions. In the end, he opted for a dual-subject Bachelor's degree with a combination of Philosophy and German Studies, including the option to become a teacher.
Ruhr-Universität Bochum became Marius' academic home in the 2019/20 winter semester and confronted the young man with the feeling of having taken several rungs at once on his way to the top. "The first semester in particular was a big change for me, there's a completely different way of working at a university than there was at A-levels," he says, describing the initial period of his studies as a major challenge. But Marius was prepared to work hard on himself and take further steps in his personal development.
Unterstützt von seinem TalentScout entscheidet sich Marius für ein Bachelor-Studium mit der Fächerkombination Philosophie und Germanistik. Im Video berichtet er vom herausfordernden Start in der Hochschulwelt und seinen Plänen für die Zukunft.
He has now found a routine, is working towards a Bachelor's degree and enjoys being able to focus on his interests at university. "Studying means a lot to me," says Marius. In fact, the educational climber feels so comfortable in the academic world that he can also imagine a professional future as a researcher and teacher. He is motivated by the fun of academic work and the prospect of being able to delve even deeper into the subjects.
"TalentScouting and Dr. Anja Wieber, scholarship officer at the Westfalen-Kolleg, took away my fear of the previously daunting subject of scholarships."
Scholarship holder of the Heinrich Böll Foundation
Marius also draws self-confidence from his status as a Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship holder - a form of recognition and a leap of faith that he would not have expected. According to the modest young man, he has TalentScouting and the scholarship officer at Westfalen-Kolleg Dortmund, Dr. Anja Wieber, to thank for the fact that he sought out the opportunity of a scholarship at all during his transition to university: "Both of them took away my fear of what had previously been a daunting subject. I'm sure that many others would have just as good prospects as me - they just don't dare to do it and don't have anyone to help break down mental barriers," he says of his successful application.
"I would always advocate making the best possible use of opportunities that arise and working on yourself to do so."
Role model for other young people with a similar story
Although Marius is proud of what he has achieved so far, including his status as a Heinrich Böll Foundation scholarship holder, he does not perceive his objectively exceptional educational advancement as something extraordinary: "I am aware that the path I have taken is something special - my own path does not seem extraordinary to me. I would always advocate making the best possible use of any opportunities that arise and working on yourself to do so."
This assessment reflects some of the young man's key character traits and virtues: a high degree of reflection, an unpretentious attitude and a willingness to seize opportunities without ifs and buts. With this mindset and his remarkable successes, Marius is already bringing to life his idealistic goal of being a role model and inspiration for other young people with a similar story.