Profile:

Name: Anna Zillner, MSc

ACE-Degree: MSc (Real Estate - Investment & Valuation)

Graduation: Class of 2021

Current position and employer: Senior Consultant for office real estate at EHL Immobilien Group.

You have received the Best of Five Immo-Graduates Award 2021. Your master's thesis "New World of Work - Veränderung der Form des Arbeitens, opens an external URL in a new window" was named the best master's thesis of the year. What does the award mean to you?

I am happy that I was able to put my experiences, which I could gather on the one hand in my job the last years, and on the other hand through my extensive research on the topic, in my thesis in such a way that it has inspired a broader audience.

Your master's thesis is about New Work and the future of work. What new insights did you gain or experience have you made in the process? To what extent will types of work change in the future? (What is the conclusion of your work?)

Both the literature research and the expert interviews showed that Covid-19 has led to a reinforcement of already existing trends - e.g. activity-based working concepts and desk sharing, as well as to a quality offensive. The trend is clearly going in the direction of a modern corporate image, higher quality space, and higher quality interior finishes. The literature and the experts also agreed that there will be a stronger implementation of home offices in the medium and long term. My thesis was completed in March 2021 and even today the topic of home office is a hot and much discussed one in many companies.

What makes the real estate programs at TU Wien so successful?

For me, the mix of theory and practice as well as the mixture of the most diverse legal, economic and technical lectures is what makes the real estate courses at TU Wien so successful. The project work, in which students fictitiously calculate entire real estate projects, also provides great insight and makes it possible to apply what has been studied theoretically in a practical way.

Why is a degree in real estate from TU Vienna so highly regarded by employers in the real estate industry today?

In my opinion, if one decides to complete a part-time master's degree in addition to a full-time job, it shows that the person is determined, organized, and interested in their own professional development. I think these are qualities that employers appreciate. In addition, the degree programs at TU Wien provide students with a broad know-how in the real estate industry and a large network within the industry.

How was or is the relationship with your fellow students?

Due to the small group size of a maximum of 30 students, you get to talk to all your colleagues and get to know each other much better than in a mass study program. The relationship was/is very good, we supported each other and I am always happy to see my colleagues again.

Regrettably, half of my time at the TU Vienna was marked by the Covid-19 pandemic, and thus we unfortunately had a lot of lectures online. Of course, this severely limited personal interaction, which made it all the nicer to see fellow students again at industry events or, for example, the annual field trip.

What memories do you have when you think back to your studies at TU Wien?

One of the highlights is of course the time spent together with my colleagues. Lunches together on lecture Saturdays, or the after-work drink after a busy and intense Friday were always fun and a nice fixed point in everyday university life. Apart from that, the many group projects were also among my highlights. They were time-consuming and exhausting, but we grew together as a small project group and I learned an incredible amount.

What are your career plans for the next 3-5 years?

In the next 3-5 years, I would like to continue to master new challenges and also expand my network, which I have built up through the master's program at the TU Wien, among other things.

How would you describe your real estate studies at TU Wien in one word?

Educational.