Sorry if it is Bobo news....

I gain nothing by spreading panic....

Do what you will....

If one consulate has started enforcing it, isn't that a sign of things to come?

Nigeria or not for Nigeria, everyone will be alright!

Update on the 10k BA issue...

It has started already..

They are not waiting till September....

Get informed people!

Glowing1:
To make things clear last year winter was not demanding, in fact, it was d easiest in terms of visa interview date.

Believe me this winter is something else
1. Last year winter there was nothing like cat A or B. 1st class didn't av special preference compared to 3rd class or those going for a B.sc like it is now.

Don't mind people telling u to calm down n not call or email.

Seeing as you are a veteran, I would like to assume that you kind of know what the winter 2016 and 2017 folks faced. If you can please try and find those pages then you will understand that this is the best response to lack of interview dates seen to date. Switching from online booking to emails and back to online where there is no fastest fingers rush.

The funny thing is the lady that picks the call at the embassy has near zero clue of internal proceedings and has a default response to every query. Imagine her telling someone to wait 8months for family reunion appointment

The German consulate hold the rights to pause, stop or even cancel visa application periods (ask 2017 set I think).

Emails (coordinated ones even better) are your better bets to being heard and probably considered.

It will end in praise

LaGbaJaa:
If you have admission offer and you have not received an Appointment Date, there is one more thing you can do.

I am in your shoes and I do think we can all take one pragmatic step by directing our complaints to Mr. Heiko..

Good though your intentions are but I believe a better approach might be to coordinate applicants to sign a letter of assistance. It would give some credence to your plight and exact some traction on the matter.

Posting the email in the open gives room for all kinds of entries

God bless us all

Update for those who might be considering Kiel as a destination....

Semester ticket has now been increased to 256 Euros but it now covers the whole Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg!

This opens up a lot of opportunities regarding where to live and work.

You can live on the outskirts of Kiel where rent is cheap and work in Hamburg where job offers abound while not worrying about transportation costs.

The good times are here

HighPriest0:


@Pompido ,i have PMed u severally and you no gree reply.

It's well

I have checked everywhere ooo but can't find the PM ooo (inbox, spam and thrash).

I would typically reply a PM with ''Shoot''.....last pm I got was from Cashmanbreeze and I replied with a shoot (no reply yet )

Maybe the shoot dey make people fear

benjamin139:

quantitative Economics. Uniassist is still evaluating my credentials.
what course did you apply?

Hi Benjamin, let me know once you get the AL for CAU-Kiel, I can introduce you to the guys in the same program there and to the student body there in general.

Do not reject or cancel any course you already have AL for until you have spoken to people taking those course in those schools. It will help you make a better decision because in truth, anything Economics in Germany is for real men.

God bless...

chocboi007:
Hallo Leute,
Please, who knows the best website to search for accommodation in DE.

start with your school's studentenwerk website

move on to the following....

homecompany
wg-gesucht
immobilienscout24
kalaydo
wohnungsboerse
immonet
live-like-a-german
sublet
housing.justlanded
likibu
hc24
wohnraumkarte
medici-living
studenten-wg

All the best

Moobahrak:

Boss,I studied political science for my BSC but I'm looking for possible courses I can do for my MSC that would increase my chances of getting a job after my studies,I'm currently learning German at A1 level and I hope to make B1 at least before coming, also do schools accept notarized documents from high court or its mandatory to do it at the embassy,cause I'm not based in Lagos,your prompt response would be greatly appreciated,Danke.

You need to be on the main student travel thread to get better details from those that are actually in your shoes or have been in the same scenario.

Nevertheless, I would say that a search on google would have helped you get a start because I did just that and got some results..

masters portal . com / study- options / 268615996 /political - science - germany. ht ml

I particularly like this course at first sighting... Science and Technology Studies - Economies, Governance, Life, M.A. at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main

maybe because I have the technology bias sha


Do the research, it will really help you.

If you have been reading up on the main student page, you would know that notarized docs from High courts are acceptable for application....

Double up, the waka still far.

All the best

Whitemagic:

Boss could you help on the nature of the digital marketing industry?

Digital marketing will require your very solid knowledge of the German language.

I once met a lady who is a digital marketer and she speaks 5 languages fluently when me dey try learn 1

Whitemagic:

Hadampson.. wish I could give u a ham. You've been really helpful. Pls can you give us more info on the building construction and architecture industry In Deutsche land? Wishing to pursue an M.tech in Architecture

Building construction and architecture is a very lucrative specialty here, the only clause is that you take your german language serious if you want job offers to be chasing you.

All my guys in this field are working now though their german language isn't that great but at least they can communicate (B1 level).

So pursue it!

Fabcol:
Boss pompido for someone coming to study economics any advise on skills or tools to get familiar with

Excel, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), R & Phython (Programming languages) and SAP Finance

willy2000:

This is not true? In my school no one takes attendance, it is even a law in Bayern Universities, attendance is not important and your grades are not sent to anybody, that is why there are data privacy laws. Even your professors can only see which modules you have taken if they are not his modules and not your total grades. I have taken exams without attending the classes. The downside is, it is usually difficult to pass but it is doable.
The major issue is, after three semesters you are not allowed to change your University anymore.
And you are given a stipulated amount of time to finish the program, my school gives max six semesters for a master program, even if you fail a module more than 3 times, it does not affect your status or your grade. However, this is not usually the norm in other schools.

Hmm, while it is true that no one takes attendance, it is mandatory (or at least required by some law) that at least 30 ECTS is passed by a certain period (I think 2nd or 3rd semester, not exactly sure now) else you will be reported to the alien's office by the school which would lead to an investigation and possible revocation of your visa.

You signed your acceptance of the school and city's data processing rules which I am sure the fine prints states they can share your information when necessary so you can't claim data privacy

You can not abandon your studies entirely for something else. Experiences abound of people that left school to hustle and make money, got investigated and their visas revoked.

Please note that you can not fail any compulsory course 3 times, if you do you are out of the program and can not apply to a similar program in the whole of Germany.

My advice would be to spread your studies such that it gives you time to learn other things. Say you have 6 courses in a semester, you can take 3 so you have time for other endeavors you want to embark on. Or you can rush your courses in the first 2 semesters (take all compulsory courses plus enough electives that you are very free by your 3rd semester. You can then start learning those things and take things easy for another 4 semesters if you decide to max out the allowed time for M.Sc.

Another way to extend your time while studying (I first saw this done in Bayern) is to get a medical waiver from a doctor saying you need a semester or a year off due to some psychological or health reasons (pressure from home etc. Na one runs doctor arrange am o ), the waiver is submitted to the school and if considered you get a year off to learn whatever you want (conditions for this will vary with city and school though). One can also request or inquire from your school's registrar's office (DE: Prüfungsamt).

Cnwag:
What of someone who is trained in CCNA and MCSA. ?

CCNA and MCSA are primarily customer facing certifications as they are entry level certifications and as such would require fluent German to get offers easily in these areas. Of course there are offers out there that do not require German for such roles.

My colleague at work is still trying to write his ICND 1 though his German is pretty good for a French guy.

A CCNP friend of mine has a contract till at least next year in Hamburg earning well over 1k per month while still being a student.

My advice, try to gain some production environment experience before you land in Germany and package your CV well. Also try to learn AWS, Azure or Kubernetes as a add on.

You will be glad you did

Goztino:


So you mean that as a Biology graduate, I can actually get a job as a programmer (if I have the skills) and then use the job offer to gain permanent residency in Germany?

Won't they ask me the relationship between biology and programming?

Programming is not by any means related to biology which happens to be the course of study in University

You are jumping the gun.

After studies and securing a job, what you get is a regular work permit or EU blue card. Let me explain....

With EU blue card: you must get a job in your area of study with at least a gross salary of 53k Euros per year. The advantage of the Blue card is that in 21 months of paying tax (max) plus B1 certificate (or evidence of having attended a full B1 class), one can apply for and get the permanent residency.

Regular work permit: This is what most people get as it has a lower salary requirement (between 30k and 40k Euros, I have seen someone get it with salary in the 20k plus range) and there is no real emphasis on your job correlating with what you studied. It also depends on who you meet on the day and how you explain your move into the new career path. Converting to permanent residency takes a while longer with this (33 months of tax payment) plus B1 certificate.

Tons of programmers being employed by companies do not have a computer science related bachelors so it isn't an issue here. They recruit skills not degrees.

Goztino:


Lol. Immediately the 18 months post graduation grace pass, you are automatically an illegal immigrant and can be deported at anytime.
A smart person won't even wait till that time elapse before taking another action.
Nobody wanna be an escape goat

This is correct!

That is why planning to avoid getting into that hole is advised.

Take up a second M.Sc or PhD while applying for jobs (and getting better at German) is one route most take.

I have known a few guys that ended up in this hole and returned to Nigeria.

I also have friends that started a second M.Sc, got a job down the line, ex-matriculated from the 2nd M.Sc and switched to a work permit.

Just plan well...

iblion:
Hi guys. I just got an email from FSU Jena requesting that I upload my TOEFL iBT result. I only have a pdf file of my score report which was emailed to me few days after my exam.
I’ve attached the pic of how the report looks like here. Can I upload this one on their portal or is there a more authentic result I need to have danke.

That is all you need. Upload the pdf copy as is...

Goztino:


What a wonderful response.
Please at the bolded, how can someone change to IT field if he didn't get job related to his field after graduation?
I am admitted to Applied Geoscience in RWTH Aachen University.
I am highly dedicated to work really hard to get professional Job but won't mind changing to IT field if I don't get job after graduation.
Is it by starting a fresh Msc?
I heard Bsc demands fluency in Deutsch.
Please I really wanna know how to change to IT if it comes to worst since it seems that's where there are lots of jobs.

In the cases I have seen, one does not need to start from B.SC. Most of them simply take up learning programming on the side with whatever they are doing, try to get werkstudent jobs to help with experience in that field and post degree apply for jobs which they get. I do know someone that simply started assisting an Indian small IT business in order to gain IT experience, he has since become an IT professional. Most IT firms especially startups will employ anyone with programming skills irrespective of the educational background.

Also, there are english taught B.Sc courses in IT. Example is Information Engineering in Hamburg. I am sure a little research can reveal more. I think Dolpaz's school has a B.Sc course in english for computer science also. This is if you really want to go the B.Sc route.

Goztino:
This thread is very educative.

Go through all the pages https://www.nairaland.com/5185821/should-move-uk-return-nigeria

Relaxed Tuesday something

It was quite an interesting read especially with the comments from those that have tasted both sides of the pie. I would like to drop a few comments .

First, I think it is important to reiterate that life will give you the output of what you input. With a bit of luck on one's side (prayers from all angles), one may get more than even anticipated. This is why I always mention the need to plan ahead regarding any venture one wants to undertake and then plan for alternative versions of that plan as back up plans, then top it off with plans for when all plans don't work out as planned. This is because for some, it will be very smooth, others will feel jealous while for others it would feel like the world is adamant on working against them.

STEM or No STEM, it requires some serious hard work finding a job after studies especially if you do not speak the language fluently.Even those that managed to speak the language fluently find it hard if they have no prior working experience which is why I always advice ensuring one does some internship or werkstudent jobs before graduation.

Another unbelievable thing is the number of applications one would do to get 1 invite for interview, if i were to throw down a number, I would put mine at over 50 applications to 1 invitation (I wanted to put over 100 o because I really believe it was ). This is a good average considering I have years of experience (plus working experience in Germany though not fluent in the German language).

A point most people ignore is that of starting early! I started applying for jobs the minute I got approval to start my master thesis. This was a whole 10 months before I would officially graduate! I learned this from friends who did the same and had offers before they officially graduated. I have 100% employment from friends that followed this strategy though I will confess all are in IT (not just programmers) since that is my circle.

Those that studied other courses that I know got jobs say they used the same strategy but in addition accepted really low ball offers to get a foot in the door, then moved on to other opportunities in due time. All those I know that studied Architecture, civil engineering or related courses are all employed.I know economists working in Banks (Fidor Bank for example), in Business Intelligence for Springer and chemical engineers jumping from one pharma to another (e.g Obiwann). LinkedIn is a very good place to see the real picture of successes.

Those still searching have either taken up PhD positions (self funded though they apply for grants on their own) (or a 2nd MSc) or taken the step to move into IT (which has the easiest entry hurdle all things considered). I know a couple of people that learnt programming on their own and were able to land jobs in IT because of that singular act. It wasn't desperation that caused them to make that move, it was based on proper analysis of effort vs reward.

This is why I preach the message of researching your choice course and its viability in the German market. Learn the language to perfection (I am still struggling with my B1 classes) and stay open to all opportunities. Appropriate your expectations and keep your eyes on the goal no matter the situation and don't get carried away with whatever money is being made from menial jobs or side hustle.

If the people around you are not making the kind of progress you desire, change your network to those you desire to rub shoulders with .

Whether Germany is looking like it would work out well or not, have plans for potential transitions so as not to be under pressure.

Another point so many fail to note is the importance of investing/saving in Nigeria from the little they make here. Investment returns in Germany is very little compared to what is obtainable in Nigeria. Treasury Bills and Mutual bonds give up to 14% ROI per annum (risk free), agric platforms like Farmcrowdy and Thriveagric give up to 30% ROI per annum (some risk involved), there is Uber and other low risk ventures that can guaranty good and steady returns from the comfort of your PC or phone from wherever you are. This little savings and investments over time will quickly amount to significant amounts and act as landing pads if it gets to that. If not, money is always useful.

P.S: The poster said he has over a year to stay in Germany. This means he just greaduated and has his 18months job searching permit.This means he has not searched for work for more than 6months before being under the kind of pressure he finds himself. These could have easily been avoided with any of the options i mentioned above and he is allowed to search the whole of EU for a job with his German degree (I have a friend who got employed in Hungary from Germany). He also has over a year to better his German and learn some skills that will increase his chances.

Wishing everyone God's blessings and favor in our endeavors.

I doubt if there is any country in this world that her citizens smoke as much as Germany.

Firewood dey learn work for their hand

Basalt:
Hope smoking is permitted in Germany?
Is it alright to smoke freely without any issue?

Oladecoolz:


boss i hail oh, please how is the prospect over there for MERN stack developers, because i code with react and expressjs, i also know some php and python, and how is the ecosystem for tech startups or possible raising funding for tech startup, because am planning on going for my masters this winter applied to some schools already all are online applications.i would be using SL my sponsor stays at kassel

No matter where you land, you should be very fine from day 1 with your skills. My advice would be that once you land and have an appointment for your permit, start applying to startups or companies as a werkstudent. You will get many offers I believe particularly if you are in a big city like Koln, Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Dusseldorf, Dortmund, Frankfurt, etc.

There are different ways of getting funding for startups in Germany but you will need to understand the workings of the environment. I am sure you will attend startup events and network to get a better understanding of the terrain. There is even a way to register a company with 1euro (called a mini-GmbH) and depending on your city you can get some grants as a sole worker startup (you will have to submit a proposal and the idea has to make sense to them). This much I learned about Kiel from a professor cum startups owner.

Alternatively, apply for full time jobs directly from Nigeria if your GIT has some nice projects and you can really do the work. Tons of programmers are being recruited directly from Nigeria. No be money everybody dey find?

There is a big difference..... Comms engineering is mostly signals and systems, a lot of calculations and very little if any IT courses. Offenburg does a bit of computer networks in their curriculum so best to really look at the curriculum before deciding.

Companies abound, you will do targeted applications based on what you want to do professionally. You are on the right path

Philfit:

Thanks for the Answer. Really helped
I am going for communications engineering, I know it’s different from information engineering but some schools offer them together as ICE. What makes them different tbh lol?
I have work experience, but it’s in form of internships not real work. I’m planing to solidify my work experience there in good companies when I begin studies. You have a list of good companies I can target in terms of our field and what programming language is most preferred
I’m learning C and C++ now. Thanks for the advise

Yes, the general rule and law is that students should not work more than 20hrs per week but tons of people do more than that because they actually need to for survival especially where the jobs are in abundance. Most of these are overlooked by the alien's office but they can also clamp down in other cases, especially if the individual isn't making progress academically (yes, they know all these things. Schools send updates of students who don't pass the minimum credit units by a certain time which leads to an investigation. If they discover that the person sacrificed school for work, Naija beckons).

One can work more than 20hrs per week if your workplace allows it. Some organizations will be a sticker to the rule while others find ways around it on their own because they need the man hours and so figure out how to keep you working.

For example, where I worked 12hours shift 4 days a week, they would only pay pension from your pay up to 1k euros (meaning you worked 10 times in a month), so you get about 900 euros, anything over they start paying tax which gives the money no sense

If one works above 10 times in a month, they withold the rest of that money until the holiday periods when students are allowed to work unlimited and then pay all the outstanding ones. So someone like me that has overworked during school session get quite some sum. This was what obtained then, I hear times have changed in Kiel now.

What suffered was the tax return because if one works more than 20hrs and they stick to the rule, they will overtax you and you still lose out on tax returns, so it will be like you just did the work for the government.

Restaurants (especially Chinese) are fond of paying cash so they are quite fun to hold as second jobs but the work no be here o. Forget say you strong, your back gonna learn

So research wherever you are headed and when you get there, test the waters until you find what works best for you.

IchBinBrait:


Thanks for this Pompido...

But some persons do say a student isn't expected to work for more than 20 hours/week because it is the rule in DE, it seem you worked more than the stated number of hours. Please could you share your thought on this.

I feel like I know you too

dobeespen:
Kiel, Allianz...?

Hmm. I feel like I know you... lol

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Doublestar1:



Yes it is 100% real

Then login to Swizprofit.com. feel free to ask me question.

I am always on WhatsApp to answer your question

07039567936

Let me clarify here that I had already worked a few years in Nigeria in the IT field so I kind of found the course easier than most people did. That was why I was able to clear all my courses while hustling like there was no tomorrow.

Also, because there was no way I could cope with hustling and attending lectures, I stopped going for classes except labs and presentations.

I would spend whatever time I wasn't working reading up slides and doing my research for presentation or writing papers. This way I was always almost ready for exam. I always made sure to go for final revision classes by the profs though where they would talk about the difficult areas of the course and possible give ideas on what to expect on the exam.

So, yes I kind of breezed through the course but classes and language suffered and I still ended up spending 2.5 years to finish.

pompido:
It was in my third semester and I had only 1 exam left to write (which was for winter, so the following January), the plan was to do intensive German till Dec and up to B1 with the free time, instead i started internship in July. I simply left Kiel to Munich but didn't register in Munich since I was still a student there though with no courses to attend. I just read on my own and wrote the final exam I had in January.

Did my MSc Project and submitted in December. Extended my internship at Allianz for another 6months, took the last exam in January, went on holiday to Nigeria and started my thesis in March with deadline of September (graduated October). I extended my internship for another 6months (the 3rd 6months so) but left 3 months into it (spent another 6weeks of this on holiday due to overtime accrued ) as I got a full time offer .

You can work as a werkstudent from anytime till you graduate, Dolpaz is a good example. You are also allowed to do internship a maximum of 3 times in the duration of your study. So what I have seen people do is start with internship and extend, when that is used up, they switch to werkstudent and keep working. That way they do not work lager jobs.

It was in my third semester and I had only 1 exam left to write (which was for winter, so the following January), the plan was to do intensive German till Dec and up to B1 with the free time, instead i started internship in July. I simply left Kiel to Munich but didn't register in Munich since I was still a student in Kiel though with no courses to attend. I just read on my own and wrote the final exam I had in January.

Did my MSc Project and submitted in December. Extended my internship at Allianz for another 6months, took the last exam in January, went on holiday to Nigeria and started my thesis in March with deadline of September (graduated October). I extended my internship for another 6months (the 3rd 6months so) but left 3 months into it (spent another 6weeks of this on holiday due to overtime accrued ) as I got a full time offer .

You can work as a werkstudent from anytime till you graduate, Dolpaz is a good example. You are also allowed to do internship a maximum of 3 times in the duration of your study. So what I have seen people do is start with internship and extend, when that is used up, they switch to werkstudent and keep working. That way they do not work lager jobs.

Philfit:

Very good piece bro, really motivating.
How were you able to do an internship that would last for 1 year in Munich while schooling in Kiel. Did you take a semester break? And even after that it seems like you still continued with them through . How was this possible bro? I’d like to learn. And did it affect your studies

Berlin gives 3 years (as far as I know) but I am sorry I do not have a list like that.

Kiel gives 1year and will accept 4k euros (not blocked o, just needs to be in your account so you can borrow to show and then refund to those you got money from after your renewal) plus payslip from some work for renewal every year. They also give 2 years for EU blue card while Hamburg gives 4years for EU blue card.

Passau gives 1year and will demand for another 8k euros to be blocked for renewal. People switch to SL at this point.

I think Munich gives 2years but I am not sure.

Others can drop what obtains in their cities for a better list

Hadampson:



One more thing sir

Can you list out the cities that give two years resident permit?

Berlin is one i believe

.

What to expect in school depends on your knowledge of the course you are going for....If you have worked in the industry of the course you studied in Bsc, going for Msc in a similar course will be easier to navigate (exception are Finance and Economics MSc programs here, na die them be from what those doing them are saying).

Still plan for academics to range from a bit stressful to unbearably tough, that way if you find your course flowing you can direct your energy to other things like language and professional work experience via werkstudent or internship or even volunteering (no pay or very little but will open doors).

Lastly, there is no first to finish in this matter, you can spend 3years or more to finish your MSc if you like so you are well prepared to make getting work after easier (language and experience). I know some that rushed and had to take 2nd Msc and PhD just to remain while some spent 4years doing 1 MSc and was fluent in the language by then so got a job easily.

Planning is everything, stay true to yourself and never be scared to make changes when there is a need to do so.

pompido:
I am greatly pleased to be on this thread and actually read from the very first page

Quite educative and brings back a flood of memories. We thank God for grace.

All questions asked and answers given (sliding tackles and all ) are great learning curves for all.

My summary....

Landed October 3rd 2015.....Digital Communications in CAU Kiel. Took the first lecture and knew it wasn't for me. Told the profs so and opted out of the program (was still registered of course and was attending the german class provided by the school and intensive language class with VHS at the same time (register with VHS in your city within your first year to get a good rebate (up to 50% off) you can select a start date months away).

Switched to Information Engineering in FH Kiel the following summer (March 2016), did multiple jobs while studying (Printing presses, Cruise ships, Umzug, Chinese Restaurant. etc. Man hustle oooo....days of 12hrs straight jobs 4 times a week and top it with a 13hrs shift on Sundays
I was actually doing good in school but learning the language suffered as I couldn't fit it in the calamitous schedule I was running (I did attend intensive classes later though).

Then I got a rude awakening , I visited my naija university mate in Berlin working for Bombardier at the time and immediately knew I was wasting my time with the lager jobs I thought was giving me money. I needed to look at the bigger picture. Got back from Berlin and applied to Allianz Technology in Munich for internship, I got in and all of a sudden was making more working 9-5pm (own office with perks, fantastic international team and exposure into the professional world in Germany) than i was doing working 12hrs (4times a week) plus 13hrs on sundays. All, while doing professional work and improving my professional profile.

I was at Allianz Technology for 1yr & 3months (finished my master project and thesis) and got 2 full time offers before I was done with my master study in October of 2018.


My advice, do what you have to do to survive out here (legally of course). Make sure you pick the right course and if you find yourself in a jam with your choice course, be open to changing. Do not worry about hustling, it is not going to be at the top of your priorities when you actually settle and draw those priorities. Especially if you are looking at the bigger picture. Work will always be available, whether in your city or outside but believe me when I say you will be alright and find a way as everyone before you have done.

Learn the language

Before you leave Nigeria or wherever you are based, set your goals (minimum and maximum), have unbelievably high expectations but also psych yourself up for the very worst case scenario so that wherever you find yourself, you would be mentally grounded to face the music and sing out loud because darkness lasts just the night, light comes with the break of dawn.

God bless our dreams and make our strives abundantly fruitful...

Hadampson:


Okay sir, i will

I see you Hadampson.

God bless you....

I am greatly pleased to be on this thread and actually read from the very first page

Quite educative and brings back a flood of memories. We thank God for grace.

All questions asked and answers given (sliding tackles and all ) are great learning curves for all.

My summary....

Landed October 3rd 2015.....Digital Communications in CAU Kiel. Took the first lecture and knew it wasn't for me. Told the profs so and opted out of the program (was still registered of course and was attending the german class provided by the school and intensive language class with VHS at the same time (register with VHS in your city within your first year to get a good rebate (up to 50% off) you can select a start date months away).

Switched to Information Engineering in FH Kiel the following summer (March 2016), did multiple jobs while studying (Printing presses, Cruise ships, Umzug, Chinese Restaurant. etc. Man hustle oooo....days of 12hrs straight jobs 4 times a week and top it with a 13hrs shift on Sundays
I was actually doing good in school but learning the language suffered as I couldn't fit it in the calamitous schedule I was running (I did attend intensive classes later though).

Then I got a rude awakening , I visited my naija university mate in Berlin working for Bombardier at the time and immediately knew I was wasting my time with the lager jobs I thought was giving me money. I needed to look at the bigger picture. Got back from Berlin and applied to Allianz Technology in Munich for internship, I got in and all of a sudden was making more working 9-5pm (own office with perks, fantastic international team and exposure into the professional world in Germany) than i was doing working 12hrs (4times a week) plus 13hrs on sundays. All, while doing professional work and improving my professional profile.

I was at Allianz Technology for 1yr & 3months (finished my master project and thesis) and got 2 full time offers before I was done with my master study in October of 2018.


My advice, do what you have to do to survive out here (legally of course). Make sure you pick the right course and if you find yourself in a jam with your choice course, be open to changing. Do not worry about hustling, it is not going to be at the top of your priorities when you actually settle and draw those priorities. Especially if you are looking at the bigger picture. Work will always be available, whether in your city or outside but believe me when I say you will be alright and find a way as everyone before you have done.

Learn the language

Before you leave Nigeria or wherever you are based, set your goals (minimum and maximum), have unbelievably high expectations but also psych yourself up for the very worst case scenario so that wherever you find yourself, you would be mentally grounded to face the music and sing out loud because darkness lasts just the night, light comes with the break of dawn.

God bless our dreams and make our strives abundantly fruitful...