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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by pompido: 10:23pm On May 14, 2019
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...

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by pompido: 10:33pm On May 14, 2019
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.

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by pompido: 10:41pm On May 14, 2019
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 wink

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Goztino(m): 10:41pm On May 14, 2019
pompido:


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.


Waooooooooo. This has cleared all my confusion. May God bless you sir for this wonderful piece of information

3 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Fabcol(m): 10:48pm On May 14, 2019
Boss pompido for someone coming to study economics any advise on skills or tools to get familiar with
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Goztino(m): 11:06pm On May 14, 2019
pompido:


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.

One more question before I dey alright.
Can someone, abandon his admitted course and use that 3years of MSc to perfect in IT field, programming and language skills?
I mean is it acceptable?

I know why I am asking all these questions. I wanna know all the available options for permanent residency apart from marrying a German
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Cnwag: 11:42pm On May 14, 2019
Thanks...Already enrolling for Azure training as well as CCNP..
Bless you

pompido:


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 wink
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Philfit(m): 1:41am On May 15, 2019
Goztino:


One more question before I dey alright.
Can someone, abandon his admitted course and use that 3years of MSc to perfect in IT field, programming and language skills?
I mean is it acceptable?

I know why I am asking all these questions. I wanna know all the available options for permanent residency apart from marrying a German
You can’t abandon a course you enrolled with in the foreigners office in any country. They get constant feedback from your school on how you perform and your attendance, those people even see your account balance. Very low credit scores and absenteeism leads to revoking of visa and back to Naija. This is in general tho, not just Germany

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Baabu320: 1:53am On May 15, 2019
Cnwag:
Thanks...Already enrolling for Azure training as well as CCNP..
Bless you


whete do you enrole for aws or azure i need a place to entol yoo
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by willy2000(m): 6:13am On May 15, 2019
Philfit:

You can’t abandon a course you enrolled in the foreigners' office in any country. They get constant feedback from your school on how you perform and your attendance, those people even see your account balance. Very low credit scores and absenteeism leads to revoking of visa and back to Naija. This is, in general, tho, not just Germany
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.

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Goztino(m): 6:54am On May 15, 2019
Philfit:

You can’t abandon a course you enrolled with in the foreigners office in any country. They get constant feedback from your school on how you perform and your attendance, those people even see your account balance. Very low credit scores and absenteeism leads to revoking of visa and back to Naija. This is in general tho, not just Germany

Very good. With the information gathered so far, I will draft my plan
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by legionnaire(m): 7:42am On May 15, 2019
Philfit:

You can’t abandon a course you enrolled with in the foreigners office in any country. They get constant feedback from your school on how you perform and your attendance, those people even see your account balance. Very low credit scores and absenteeism leads to revoking of visa and back to Naija. This is in general tho, not just Germany

Philfit, I pm you. Let's rub minds about the Abuja visa matter

1 Like

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Cnwag: 8:02am On May 15, 2019
You can check New Horizon


Baabu320:


whete do you enrole for aws or azure i need a place to entol yoo
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by pompido: 8:25am On May 15, 2019
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 grin

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 grin), 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).

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by willy2000(m): 9:06am On May 15, 2019
pompido:


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.

Like I said each school has its own rules, and each faculty also has its own specific regulations. The bolded does not apply to my faculty. And I am so sure and certain about it because I have spoken to one professor who is in charge of admission. (I actually worked for him, so I know much about how they admit students and so on)



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 grin

The above did not apply to me, because I read and understood what I signed. I can upload a snippet of it if required just clear any doubts.


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.

[quote]
[b]Please note that you can not fail any compulsory course 3 times, [/b]if you do you are out of the program and can not apply to a similar program in the whole of Germany.
I know this will come up. Like I said earlier, my faculty does not use this rule, but other faculties do. I know of BWL, this rule is applicable there.
Besides we do not have any compulsory course but have courses/modules distributed in different pools of sections label A1 - A5. You are required to have a minimum and maximum number of ECTS from each pool. So if for example, if you take a course from A1 and you fail, you can take from A2 or A3 to replace it, so long you meet the total amount of required ECTS needed from A1. But the only rule is, after a maximum of six semesters, you must have accumulated 120 ECTS. I have seen a friend who wrote his thesis in the seventh semester, so this rule is also flexible, which was a surprise to me.


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 grin), 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).
There are lots of little benefits that exist if you attend a relatively smaller University compared to bigger ones. You never know until you get in.
At the bolded is normal in Bayern, I also took a semester off during my internship, a maximum of two-semester breaks is allowed.


From my experience here so far, I would advise you to just be positive about life, make plans and even if things don't go as plan, keep your head high and keep moving.
Shalom.

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Goztino(m): 12:03pm On May 15, 2019
Chaiii, This thread ist schön grin

I learn alot from your experiences. My jotter is getting full

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Basalt(m): 12:11pm On May 15, 2019
Goztino:


Chaiii, my man where have you been? cheesy

Brüder, Ich lerne Deutsch.

2 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Basalt(m): 12:16pm On May 15, 2019
But I really find it hard to imagine how someone will fail one course three times.
I mean, can someone explain to me because it's too difficult for me to figure out.

How can you write course one time, fail.
Write another time, and fail.
Write on the third time and fail.

For me, it means you are not competent for that course and should be immediately dismissed not only from the department but also have your student visa revoked for that particular course of interest
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by pompido: 12:42pm On May 15, 2019
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

1 Like

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Gcapable(m): 12:43pm On May 15, 2019
Easy Tiger. I can assure you that you will doubt your Bsc in your 1st few weeks in class and this will continue unless you do some catch up on your own.
Basalt:
But I really find it hard to imagine how someone will fail one course three times.
I mean, can someone explain to me because it's too difficult for me to figure out.

How can you write course one time, fail.
Write another time, and fail.
Write on the third time and fail.

For me, it means you are not competent for that course and should be immediately dismissed not only from the department but also have your student visa revoked for that particular course of interest

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Fabcol(m): 12:48pm On May 15, 2019
Thanks boss
pompido:


Excel, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), R & Phython (Programming languages) and SAP Finance
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by erny11: 1:04pm On May 15, 2019
[quote author=pompido post=78396171]

Thanks so much for your insightful contributions, may God continue to bless.

Pls I will like to know what opportunities are available in the Agricultural sector. I studied Agricultural Economics in Bsc and have been admitted to study Sustainable international Agriculture in University of Gottingen. Though going through my modules I read I will be doing a data analysis and programming course which involves the application of IT in Agriculture.

I will really appreciate your advice and I don't know if you arte in touch with any Nigerian in the Agricultural field in DE; I am yet to see any post relating to Agriculture and Job prospect in DE.

2 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Qpetz: 1:07pm On May 15, 2019
pompido:

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.

Is this for B.Sc. or M.Sc.?
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Basalt(m): 1:22pm On May 15, 2019
Gcapable:
Easy Tiger. I can assure you that you will doubt your Bsc in your 1st few weeks in class and this will continue unless you do some catch up on your own.

My brother, there is absolutely no reason to congratulate someone who fail one course three times. It shows unseriousness, It shows incompetence.
Though I have never failed any course since I was born but If I fail one course just once, I will feel so devastated and be motivated to make A the second time.
There is only two words to use to qualify someone who fail one particular course three times.
1. Incompetence
2. Unseriousness

2 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Gcapable(m): 1:29pm On May 15, 2019
Basalt:


My brother, there is absolutely no reason to congratulate someone who fail one course three times. It shows unseriousness, It shows incompetence.
Though I have never failed any course since I was born but If I fail one course just once, I will feel so devastated and be motivated to make A the second time.
There is only two words to use to qualify someone who fail one particular course three times.
1. Incompetence
2. Unseriousness

Ok bro. I wish you the very best with your studies in Germany

3 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Basalt(m): 1:35pm On May 15, 2019
Gcapable:


Ok bro. I wish you the very best with your studies in Germany

Thanks so much my brother.

2 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by Goztino(m): 2:13pm On May 15, 2019
pompido:

. 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 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.



Please, from all research I have conducted both in quora and nairaland, they keep mentioning IT everywhere.

Please can you recommend high demanding IT skills one can learn in Germany since you are already in Germany?
I have never programmed in my life.
Just recommend skills I can acquire alongside my studies for my own development
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by willy2000(m): 3:17pm On May 15, 2019
Basalt:


My brother, there is absolutely no reason to congratulate someone who fail one course three times. It shows unseriousness, It shows incompetence.
Though I have never failed any course since I was born but If I fail one course just once, I will feel so devastated and be motivated to make A the second time.
There is only two words to use to qualify someone who fail one particular course three times.
1. Incompetence
2. Unseriousness

Bro, I would advise you to be humble, failing a course in Germany doesn't mean you are unserious. Wait till you come, then you see how different and intense it is to study here. Besides, overconfidence is a dangerous trait to bring over here. Once you fail an exam, it is difficult to pass it the second time without sacrificing something in your life, and if you fail the second time, the pressure of losing your student status will make you lose concentration when studying for the third trial.

Saying you have never failed an exam b4 ....hm no comment. I just hope you don't fail any when you get here.

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by willy2000(m): 3:19pm On May 15, 2019
Goztino:


Please, from all research I have conducted both in quora and nairaland, they keep mentioning IT everywhere.

Please can you recommend high demanding IT skills one can learn in Germany since you are already in Germany?
I have never programmed in my life.
Just recommend skills I can acquire alongside my studies for my own development

High demanding IT skills depend on which area, web dev, software dev, mobile, dev, DevOps(hottest kid on the block), AI(this is very broad), data science...........and so on.

But with Web Dev, you can't go wrong. (learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Angular, React, ) for frontend. (Java, Php, Nodejs) for backend.

You can start with HTML CSS, then move to Javascript, and then React before Angular for frontend development.
For backend, I would say learn JAVAEE with ( Spring/Hibernate) and Nodejs. But if you are already proficient in Javascript, then perfect your backend skills with Nodejs and learn other frameworks to it.
All in all, programming is not all about what language you are proficient in, it is about how to analyse and solve problems. Your architecture and logic implementations are what makes you a good developer. This is where a good knowledge of data structures and algorithm come into play.

See just stay focus and forget all this IT hype, learn German and follow your passion. If you jump ship because people are saying so,hmm. The grass is not always green on the other side.

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Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by badmus306(m): 4:33pm On May 15, 2019
willy2000:


High demanding IT skills depend on which area, web dev, software dev, mobile, dev, DevOps(hottest kid on the block), AI(this is very broad), data science...........and so on.

But with Web Dev, you can't go wrong. (learn HTML, CSS, Javascript, Angular, React, ) for frontend. (Java, Php, Nodejs) for backend.

You can start with HTML CSS, then move to Javascript, and then React before Angular for frontend development.
For backend, I would say learn JAVAEE with ( Spring/Hibernate) and Nodejs. But if you are already proficient in Javascript, then perfect your backend skills with Nodejs and learn other frameworks to it.
All in all, programming is not all about what language you are proficient in, it is about how to analyse and solve problems. Your architecture and logic implementations are what makes you a good developer. This is where a good knowledge of data structures and algorithm come into play.

See just stay focus and forget all this IT hype, learn German and follow your passion. If you jump ship because people are saying so,hmm. The grass is not always green on the other side.
Phillift, willy, pompido, God bless you all for sharing this vital information here.

2 Likes

Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by dobeespen: 5:27pm On May 15, 2019
LOL. Na here we dey sha...

Basalt:
But I really find it hard to imagine how someone will fail one course three times.
I mean, can someone explain to me because it's too difficult for me to figure out.

How can you write course one time, fail.
Write another time, and fail.
Write on the third time and fail.

For me, it means you are not competent for that course and should be immediately dismissed not only from the department but also have your student visa revoked for that particular course of interest
Re: Nigerian Students In Germany..how Do You Survive?? by themaestro08(m): 5:34pm On May 15, 2019
Great job guys! ..... I have been a silent reader for quite a long time, I just feel I should appreciate the good work you guys are doing, particularly, hadampson, elder,phlift e.t.c. that said, I think people are laying too much emphasis on STEM,I know its in demand, but if its not your thing or you are not that good in it then just go for your preferred choice, as I can confidently tell you whatever you study in germany you will have something decent doing at the end of the day, there are lots of decent courses with huge potentials to land you pretty good jobs in DE.....

Tips to succeeding in DE

-have a good knowledge of Deutsche
-posses decent employable skills

And the sky could just be your starting point.

Peace.

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