Constant challenges, the ability to prove yourself in many production areas, and work in an international environment - this is a typical working day of Justyna Frydrych, project manager at Compin Polska. The graduate of the only French-language course at Lodz University of Technology, Gestion et Technologie, talks about her studies at Lodz University of Technology and her professional path.
What prompted you to study in French?
Gestion et Technologie is an ideal choice for people who love the French language and culture, who have engineering minds and a passion for the realities of production. In Lodz, it is a unique opportunity to combine these two passions during your studies, and then in your further professional career. It is worth choosing this course not only because of the prestige of a double diploma - Lodz University of Technology and a selected foreign partner university. For me, it was also very important to have a variety of teaching faculties, a wide range of interesting practical classes, opportunities to take part in an exchange under the Erasmus programme and, of course, the development of language skills, especially in the area of technical vocabulary.
You supplemented your knowledge of studies abroad, choosing a rather unusual field of studies ...
Yes, I spent the entire third year in England studying European Business Management at Coventry University as part of the Erasmus student exchange programme. My choice was quite controversial. 90% of my classmates had chosen different universities in France, but I, along with two of my friends, decided to get an additional degree (this time in English) during a one-year BA programme. These studies, apart from valuable knowledge, gave me full freedom to express myself in English and allowed me to establish relationships with people from all over Europe and even the world.
An important moment for you was the project management course you took at TUL in the fourth year of your studies. How did this event affect your professional life?
The course organized by Lodz University of Technology in cooperation with the International Project Management Associaction was a huge breakthrough in the course of my studies. Earlier, during classes related to management and projects, I felt that this area was of special interest to me and I would like to explore it. During the course, I gained valuable knowledge, which instilled in me a project approach - at first to ordinary everyday matters, and then to professional areas of activity. Thanks to the acquired skills and learned techniques, I had the opportunity to successfully carry out my first production transfers as a transfer coordinator, and then successfully manage subsequent projects.
How did your adventure with Compin Polska start?
I started working at Compin Polska less than a month after defending my master's thesis, responding to the recruitment invitation sent to the graduates of my field of study. The newly established Composites Department was looking for support in supervising the current production and developing its activities through planned transfers from the company's French branches. Initially as a department assistant, then as its manager, through a transfer specialist, to a project manager, until now, I have been developing my competences and skills every day, actively participating in the fascinating course of our production, helping to solve problems and constantly cooperating with recipients and target groups customers of our products.
What do you do as a project manager?
As a project manager together with other members of individual project teams, as well as in cooperation with project managers on the client's side, I try to implement the entrusted projects in accordance with a specific schedule, budget and set quality level. I pilot and report the necessary modifications on an ongoing basis, in consultation with the client, we approve any costs of deviations from the initially established design framework, collect and provide all interested parties with the necessary documentation, analyze and manage the identified risk and opportunity - all in accordance with the policy and standards of the quality management system adopted in Compin Polska.
Can an engineering degree in management open up new opportunities in the labor market?
The engineer title is valued not only in the country but also abroad, so it is worth fighting for those additional three letters before the name. I had the pleasure to meet highly qualified lecturers who were able to inspire to look for their own career path, and the university itself provided tools and helped in personal development. Comparing the level of education at Lodz University of Technology with that experienced by me and my colleagues at foreign universities, we should definitely be proud to be graduates of our university.
Interviewer: Dr. Aleksandra Pawlik