Professional development opportunities for students in Germany
- 2021-07-12
- Guest contribution by alumna Ajita Shringarpure
- Comment
Two years ago, during my MBA studies I discovered many opportunities (apart from my studies), which would be helpful for both my personal and professional development. Since I was looking for a job, I was curious about finding new ways to improve my profile. The job market looks for candidates, who are not only academically qualified, but also have a well-developed profile. This motivated me to seek out courses and events proactively, so that I could improve myself in multiple areas.
I’d like to share some great resources I discovered on my search for continuous self-improvement, other students could also benefit from.
For students interested in technology
1. openSAP courses: Many jobs nowadays need at least a basic knowledge of SAP. SAP itself offers superb free courses through their openSAP website. These include courses on almost all SAP modules in various fields; be it in the field of supply chain, pure IT, customer experience or environment. A simple subscription also includes access to SAP microlearnings and podcasts, which share a lot of knowledge in condensed forms.
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2. Women Who Code: Women who code is a non-profit organisation, which regularly organises free events such as hackathons, educational talks from inspiring women in the tech industry, study groups and meetups. It’s a great chance for women to improve their coding skills or to learn how to enter a tech job. New jobs in tech and coding are also regularly displayed on their website.
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3. Google AdCamp EMEA: This is a special online advertising program open to students from Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) which will train students for Google’s ad products and also provide industry knowledge. Up to 50 current university students will be chosen to participate in an all-expense paid AdCamp experience at one of Google’s offices. It is a fantastic opportunity to gain new skills, compete in case competitions, build an international network and learn about career opportunities inside Google.
4. University hackathons/tech groups: Make sure to check out the tech clubs at your university. Most universities are hosting tech-related events and hackathons, where you can learn some tech/coding skills, meet tech professionals, or even gain event planning experience.
For students interested in connecting with experienced professionals
1. Career Lunch: This is a great opportunity to meet potential employers for lunch and connect with them. Students can easily apply to have lunch (currently virtual) with employees from German companies in the DACH area and explore what their jobs look like. I had lunch in 2019 with a marketing professional from Unilever and a consultant from Accenture. It may not always lead to a job interview, but it is worth meeting people from an industry that you want to enter later. They may also share tips on how you can develop yourself for a particular job, or how you could apply to the company you are interested in.
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2. University Career Centers and Job Fairs: Most universities have excellent career centers, which can give students advice on their CVs and job applications. My university career center gave me tips on writing cover letters and great advice for interviews. Also, most universities have job fairs and guest lectures from industry experts, so that students can directly interact with professionals and HR teams from companies. Be sure to make the most of these networking opportunities!
For students interested in creativity and design
1. Adobe Creative Cloud discount: Using your student ID from your German university you can learn Adobe Creative Cloud at a 65% discount. This is a great opportunity to learn Adobe’s programs, you can start a free trial month. It gives exposure to Adobe tools, which can be used for marketing, on social media and for CV designs! I have learned to use Photoshop and Illustrator just for fun by using this discount and really enjoyed it.
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2. openSAP IT sketching course: Sketching is a powerful communication tool and can help while conducting workshops and creating storyboards. This is a fun and useful course by SAP experts to teach you sketching skills which can be used for IT workshops, drawing IT system architectures or to create customer journeys.
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For students interested in a particular company
Make sure to follow your dream companies on LinkedIn or other social media sites. Many big German companies host info lunch sessions to talk about specific jobs and their challenges or host a coding challenge or a coaching session for case interviews. Keep a watch out for such sessions and try to make the most of it. These opportunities can help build connections and land an internship or a specific project during the semester. Many companies also have recruiting days or recruiting festivals, which could be great for job seekers.
For students interested in learning new languages
Check out your university’s tandem courses and find yourself a tandem partner you can learn German with. Maybe they would also be interested in learning your native language! Also simply google tandem partners to find out a wealth of resources for every city and every situation. This is a great way to improve your German, by learning it from friends. There are also many other possibilities to .