My first class

Yesterday from 17.30 till 22.00 I had my introduction to school life in Austria. I had enrolled in Consumer and Marketresearch thinking it would be full of theories and practical advice. From the sounds of things, it will be interesting, but not quite what I had expected.

We're working for an actual client (the association of custom tailors and milliners in Vienna is a loose translation of their German name). So basically, seamstresses, tailors, hat makers and haute couture designers. Should be interesting.

We will be researching and survying two groups: the tailors and seamstresses and the clients who use their services. From the tailors and seamstresses our client wants to know where they see the custom-made industry going, what the association can do to further help their members and other similar information such as how each member advertises. From the clients the association wants to know why they choose custom-made: is it the uniqueness of having something no one else has?, the quality?, the prestige (a custom business suit starts at €1,500 or $2,288. Cdn using today's exchange rate...sorry Dad, but that's a little out of my price range)?, physical reasons (missing a limb or one leg longer than the other)?. Anways, the class has been divided into groups and each group is responsible for part of the project. I'm in the group responsible for designing a survey that will be sent to the clients who order custom-made clothing.

I think this class will be a blend of Research Methods for Public Relations that I took a few years ago and a Marketing class I took last semester. I haven't decided whether or not I'm going to stay enrolled or drop out and choose something different. On one hand, it will be fun to talk about sampling, research procedures and SPSS again, on the other hand, it may be better to take something new. Any thoughts or opinions?

Now on to something related, but different. Some of you have been asking exactly how classes work here in Austria. So far I've only been to one, but I'll use it as my example. This whole semester the class (about 35 students - including a Vin Diesel look alike) only meets six times. Yes, you read correctly....six times (that's about two weeks, possibly four weeks of a class in Canada). When we do meet though, the class is ridiculously long - such as last night when we were scheduled to go from 5:30 p.m. till 10 p.m..

The course is part of the Sales and Marketing program and is taught at one the business schools in the centre of the city. If I walked there from my place (which I could) I'd pass the Museumsquartier, the Hoffburg gates, the Staatopera and some movie theatre. Guess what street the school building is on? Akadamiestraße. Appropriate eh?

Well, I hope that answers some of your questions. If not, just let me know. The rest of my courses start next Monday, so I should have some more examples for you after that.

P.S. Thanks for all your comments and e-mails. I like hearing from you.