Lucia is a marketing manager at Anexia. When talking to her, you immediately notice how creative she is. She’s interested in cinema and worked at an online magazine while completing her degree in theater and media studies. A native of Bavaria, she moved to Carinthia and stayed here, joining the Anexia family in 2016.
In her #joinourrevolution interview, Lucia explains why she thinks it’s such a shame that teaching are losing their draw as a career and what she does in her free time. Spoiler alert: She’s never bored.
Could you please introduce yourself?
The basics about me: My name is Lucia Schöpfer; I’m 27 years old and a marketing manager at Anexia.
What does a marketing manager do?
Generally speaking, those of us involved in marketing try to answer these questions: What are we selling? Who do we want to sell it to? Where is this target group active and how do we reach them there? However, marketing is treated differently at different companies. The industry and the company’s rate of growth are always the key factors. IT companies such as Anexia do a lot online.
What do you particularly like about your work at Anexia?
I like how every day is a little bit different. Of course, if a certain issue is important at a given time, then things might stay the same for a few days, but every week is different. Something I also have great appreciation for is the amount of freedom I have to structure my work myself. I have different subject areas, but as for which one I choose to focus on or spend less time on – that’s up to me. It’s comforting to see my ability to make decisions taken seriously. It doesn’t have to be that way, as I’ve experienced at a variety of internships. In those places, you’re just a little cog in the machine, never getting anywhere. I think the reason our team functions so well is because we can take such an active role and have plenty of leeway – and that’s very comforting. Our department currently is the perfect size for working collaboratively.
My ability to make decisions is taken seriously here.
Does marketing involve a lot of teamwork?
Definitely. Every member of our team is an expert in their own field. For example, my colleague Conny does graphic design, Daniel takes care of coding and technical aspects, and I write copy. On our own, we’d be helpless.
How did you learn about Anexia?
I applied for the job at Anexia on impulse. I had heard of the company before, because I used to work in the IT startup scene and Anexia was a company that other startups looked up to as a role model.
The startup scene? Tell me more.
For about a year, I worked at the startup xamoom in Klagenfurt. That was a lot of fun. The scene is full of bright, dedicated minds and you meet lots of exciting personalities. And in your day-to-day work, too, a lot of things move fast, due to the quick decision-making processes. But I can’t complain about that, since we have flat hierarchies at Anexia, too. You wouldn’t think, but Carinthia is a really vibrant area for startups and there’s a lot happening here. I think that’s awesome.
What brought you to Carinthia? You’re originally from Bavaria.
Bavaria may be very beautiful, and I really like the people there, but I always knew that I didn’t want to stay in the same place forever. I decided to move to Austria because I found it truly beautiful here. I applied to do my bachelor’s degree in Innsbruck but wasn’t accepted. So I started a degree in Bayreuth (Bavaria). For my master’s, I once again applied to universities in Austria because the options in Bayreuth weren’t that great. I wanted to pursue media studies and this was only possible in Salzburg, Vienna, or Klagenfurt. I chose Klagenfurt.
Were you always aware of what you wanted to study?
For my bachelor’s degree, I double-majored in theater and media / German studies. At that time, I chose the course of study because I wanted to study theater. In high school, I was a total theater kid. But I was reluctant to study only theater, because the question then becomes: what am I going to do with this degree? That’s why I chose this dual major of media studies and theater studies. During my time at university, I realized that I was actually less interested in theater than I’d thought, which led me to discover my passion for film studies.
How did you become a marketing manager?
At some point, all of us come to the realization that we need to earn a living – it’s not enough to sit around watching films. I worked in journalism a bit while working on my bachelor’s – at a daily paper – but it wasn’t really my thing. I liked marketing because it involves so many different aspects. I like to organize things and enjoy keeping an eye on the big picture while doing a variety of tasks. I also really like the contact with other people. You constantly have to think as if you are the other person and consider what they’d be interested in, how one would talk to them, etc.
Did you gain any experience in this subject while you were at university?
Yes, I did a seven-month internship in the marketing department of an energy corporation – full-time, parallel to my studies – and it wasn’t a required internship. I was also involved with the communications and organizational group of the ÖH (Austrian Union of Students) for three years in total and also worked at an online magazine.
Many of our interviewees have told us that they never completed their university degrees. What is your opinion on the value of a university degree?
Actually, I have made many thoughts on that question already. [laughs] As I see it, the focus of a university degree is doing academic work. Those years at university are the time when you get involved in research and attempt to make the world – and yourself – a little bit smarter. For me, a university degree is not a vocational training. Some might disagree with that, but I think it’s important to emphasize. Unfortunately, the attitude of “everyone needs to go to university” devalues the teaching professions and makes them lose their significance. That’s a real shame, because teaching involve intensely demanding, complex training. I’m convinced that a great many apprentices are much sharper than people who went to university because they didn’t know what else to do with themselves. Nevertheless: My experience at university was excellent and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But it was also very important for me to start gaining work experience on the side.
My experience at university was excellent and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. But it was also very important to gain work experience on the side.
So what do you need to become a marketing manager if a university degree isn’t absolutely essential?
Well, you need to understand people, because at the end of the day, everything you communicate needs to be received and understood by people. That’s why it’s so important to have a certain ability to empathize. You ought to be able to multitask and incorporate your creativity. So what do you need: you need to be quick on the uptake, good at writing emails and able to think like other people. Things like how to upload an ad on Facebook or how to structure a newsletter – you can learn all that.
Do you still have enough time for your hobbies outside of work?
Yes, I actually do. There are always times when I just want to get everything done and end up working overtime, but by and large I can end my workday punctually. I’m involved in a lot of things in my free time and enjoy that very much. For me, something always needs to be going on, otherwise I get bored very quickly.
Does that mean there are a lot of evening events in Klagenfurt?
Yes, for sure. People like to complain that there’s nothing going on in Carinthia or in Klagenfurt. I think the opposite is true. I always have so many Facebook events in the evening, I don’t even know which one to go to. There are really a lot of exciting things happening here and lots of dedicated people working on making change in the city. For example, there’s a small gallery that also puts on theatrical performances – they’re really, really good. And I should know, I studied theater. [laughs] I’m also a passionate moviegoer and live right next to a movie theater. On the weekend, I often go mountain-climbing, swimming in the lake, do yoga or work in my garden.
We’re always on the lookout for motivated people like Lucia. Are you a creative person too, and not a fan of sitting around doing nothing? Then become part of our Anexia family and #joinourrevolution: