I finished high school in 1998 and then completed my compulsory military service in the German Navy. I then worked as a seasonal worker on a sheep farm in Iceland for the summer of 2000.

 After returning to Germany, I began an apprenticeship as a cabinetmaker/joiner with a small business in Regensburg. At the end of my apprenticeship, I was presented with the award ‘Best of the Guild Guten Form’ for the design of my final piece. 

Upon completing my apprenticeship, I gained employment as a cabinetmaker journeyman with a company in Edmonton, Canada (www.milltech-group.com). This company specialised in large order contracts for public buildings, and in office and shop fit outs. I then found work with a company on Vancouver Island, Canada (www.pronauticyachts.com). This was a medium-sized business that produced interior furniture for luxury motor yachts.

In 2005, I moved to Australia and again found employment in the boat-building field (www.mcconaughy-aus.com). This company focused on the construction of high tech performance racing yachts made of carbon fibre, fibreglass and partly kevlar. I worked mainly on the interior fittings of these yachts.

In February 2006, I undertook further training at the ‘College of Wood and Design’ in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and by Autumn 2007 I gained my Masters title in cabinetmaking. During this course I developed a type of modular furniture, called ‘stepUP’, which was presented at the ‘International Trade Fair’ in Munich in March 2007. At my graduation, I was awarded with a ‘Master prize’ by the Bavarian Government.