A user's report
Eight o'clock in the morning at Cologne Central Station. The mecca for the city's daily commuters unfolds its pulsating forces. An unspoken hustle and bustle and numerous queues at „To Go“ food stalls characterise the morning atmosphere of this place. For some, the central station is a normal part of Cologne's infrastructure. For others, it is a regular test of their patience. For many, the journey to work becomes a pilgrimage that can last for hours.
People commute into and out of almost all major German cities hourly. Cologne, as the country's fourth-largest city, counts around 374,000 travellers every day. The reasons for this are diverse: travellers go to work, school or university. Among them are also people who undertake the journey for their further education or retraining. But how does commuting affect everyday life? And is the journey even worth it?
The early bird catches the worm!
Many participants, as well as lecturers, travel distances of up to 100km daily to get to their place of work or study. In doing so, they accept inconveniences such as traffic jams, waiting times and overcrowded carriages. Long periods of sitting and frequent changes lead to stress and fatigue in everyday life. This not only promotes a deterioration in well-being, but also reduces social skills. I myself commute from Cologne to Bochum every week for my studies and am very familiar with the topic. In an interview at my university, I learn more about the lives of people like me.
Student Nisa A. from Duisburg tells me that she attends events at the university three to four times a week and travels by car. “It simply takes too long by train,” she says. I know this way of thinking. To attend a seminar at university at 8:30 am, a commuter from Cologne has to get up at five to catch a specific train. Because once that train has gone, the next one doesn't arrive for another hour. If you factor in the almost 1.5-hour journey, you quickly realise that the seminar will have long finished by the time you arrive.
Efficiency is required!
It is now clear to us that commuting now causes a certain dose of stress. This should really be avoided, shouldn't it? Many travellers don't think so! A TK report attests that most people who commute to work or university are very motivated, goal-oriented and responsible individuals, as they undertake the long journey
To cover the path towards high qualifications in education and professional life. This statement is reflected in the students I see on the train in the mornings. They are successfully using their travel time to work on their lectures and seminars and to prepare for their everyday student life. I'm making a note of this practice on the train as an alternative to driving, in order to save time and money on fuel costs. Necessity really does breed invention, and it pays off!
Emotional turmoil
Many fellow students who commute tell me about a kind of “inner conflict” regarding studying at a distant university. I can understand this well. The constant everyday stress and the time invested take their toll. At the same time, the enthusiasm for the degree programme, the friendships made and academic successes are a great enrichment, which one would not like to miss. Sometimes you grit your teeth and carry on, and sometimes you enjoy getting out of your own city.
My experiences as a commuter involve a number of obstacles in my daily life, but also countless wonderful moments and, above all, a major goal in sight. This is also how some of the participants and tutors at PlanB see it. Emina Delic, Executive Assistant, reports an extremely positive average success rate across all courses on offer. 95% of all participants successfully complete their training and further education, with almost a third of them being commuters. They travel from all regions of North Rhine-Westphalia and are therefore not only a great asset to the company, but also the very essence of our work ethic: hard work always pays off!
