Tough realities of student life
She handed in her notice and returned to ETH at the age of 32. But instead of continuing her degree in chemistry, she switched to environmental sciences. This course offers a broad scope of subjects including chemistry, biology, social sciences and technology – and that made it the perfect choice for her needs. “I’m more of a generalist than a specialist,” says Seitz. S
he enjoyed taking an interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving and working on complex environmental topics such as developing mobility concepts – but learning to be a student again proved to be something of a challenge: “It was really tough.” During her first semester she sat up until ten o’clock every night, poring over her books. But gradually she learned to set priorities. She needed to decide what to focus on and, crucially, what to leave out, because she was also holding down a job to finance her studies. What’s more, she was still part of
the volunteer fire brigade that she had joined in 2003.
Seitz vividly recalls one key event from her student days. In 2011, it emerged that ETH had cancelled its subscription to a green energy provider for financial reasons and had mostly switched to electricity generated by nuclear power. “I was horrified, and so was everyone else on the environmental sciences course,” says Seitz. She and her fellow students organised a public campaign that ultimately caused Ralph Eichler, the ETH President at the time, to change tack. ETH drew up a comprehensive energy policy that included a gradual return to renewable energy. Seitz is proud of what they achieved: “The campaign inspired us to put everything we had learned into practice.”
New challenges
In 2013, she completed her studies and received her Master’s degree. She then spent some time working for Energie Zukunft Schweiz, an organisation that promotes energy efficiency, travelling across the German-speaking parts of Switzerland to advise homeowners on energy issues. “That was interesting, but it was tiring work,” she says. The position was a temporary one, so she was soon left looking for a new challenge – and that’s how she ended up at University Hospital Zurich. The job seemed like the perfect fit, allowing her to combine her expertise in environmental sciences with her passion for the fire service. This was a connection she had already forged at ETH when she wrote her Bachelor’s thesis on the hazards faced by firefighters called out to incidents at wind farms, solar parks and biogas plants.
Seitz likes to enjoy whatever time she has free from her work and volunteer fire brigade duties, so several times a week she goes swimming with her partner. “Those are important opportunities for us to spend time together,” Seitz says, emphasising the importance of having time to talk without worrying about her pager ringing. At weekends, they often go on short hikes in the area around Zurich.
Seitz is adamant that hiking is not about conquering high peaks, but rather understanding that the journey itself is the goal. But not all their outings are quite so relaxing: Seitz’s partner is also a member of the Rümlang volunteer fire brigade, and is even in the same shift group. Nicole Seitz actually finds that arrangement surprisingly practical, cheerfully noting that “when the alarm goes off we can both jump out of bed at the same time!” It’s
a busy life – and the next call-out is always just a pager beep away!
