₦airaland Forum

marcondo13:
My deepest regret and joy was reading petroleum engineering. Joy because it opened my mind to vast possibilities in engineering application and innovation,but regret in the aspect of its vast limitations when you want a cross industrial job.
I prefer saying the hard truth. If you are not from a certain area in Nigeria,or a certain region,it will be tough to break into NNPC Group or most local players or IOCs because the HOSTCOM have some say. I don't have to tell you that because if you have a degree in PetEng,you already know how easy it is to get an internship,not just a job in Nigeria,no matter your grades!
My sincere advice is this: put your petroleum degree in your back pocket and switch to an area that is applicable to the oil industry,but not in particular. Not everyone is lucky!
For example,the future of the oil industry is in data analytics and innovation. The Petroleum Engineer of the future is one who is data savvy and does not necessarily have a degree in that field.
There is so much possibilities. I know several guys who switched to naval architecture, welding engineering,coating technology, data optimization,subsea design, etc,and they are earning "blood money" with ease at top IOCs and even have their startups!
Do not necessarily rely on your first degree. It will help you to transition easily into your postgraduate studies but trust me,every new level requires you to meet a new devil! It will not be easy but if you are ready to work hard,the system abroad will surely back any hard working student. Na so the matter be!
If you can bend your back to plot a new future for yourself,companies will queue to beg you for consultancy,not even employment!
I drop the mic!

Ticolibe11:
Education in Germany so far from my experience is the best among other countries.

Thegamingorca:
Quality is alright but otherwise forget it...

marcondo13:
My deepest regret and joy was reading petroleum engineering. Joy because it opened my mind to vast possibilities in engineering application and innovation,but regret in the aspect of its vast limitations when you want a cross industrial job.
I prefer saying the hard truth. If you are not from a certain area in Nigeria,or a certain region,it will be tough to break into NNPC Group or most local players or IOCs because the HOSTCOM have some say. I don't have to tell you that because if you have a degree in PetEng,you already know how easy it is to get an internship,not just a job in Nigeria,no matter your grades!
My sincere advice is this: put your petroleum degree in your back pocket and switch to an area that is applicable to the oil industry,but not in particular. Not everyone is lucky!
For example,the future of the oil industry is in data analytics and innovation. The Petroleum Engineer of the future is one who is data savvy and does not necessarily have a degree in that field.
There is so much possibilities. I know several guys who switched to naval architecture, welding engineering,coating technology, data optimization,subsea design, etc,and they are earning "blood money" with ease at top IOCs and even have their startups!
Do not necessarily rely on your first degree. It will help you to transition easily into your postgraduate studies but trust me,every new level requires you to meet a new devil! It will not be easy but if you are ready to work hard,the system abroad will surely back any hard working student. Na so the matter be!
If you can bend your back to plot a new future for yourself,companies will queue to beg you for consultancy,not even employment!
I drop the mic!

marcondo13:
You are partially right because most German Universities are above decent in many study areas. On the flip side, every field has its own top specialists,likewise,every university has its strength and weakness! You can not compare TU Clausthal, Hannover, in Petroleum Engineering to most of their counterparts in the North Sea and North American axis.

Likewise,RWTH Aachen is light years ahead of most UK top universities in Engineering research,but in Material Science,it will hold a glass of beer for University of Manchester,who in turn,doff its cap for KU Leuven,Belgium when it comes to volume of research output!

The important thing is to look out for the top players in your field when applying for admission,but when admitted to a school that is not well rounded in your discipline, try to network with the top professors,students and alumni in conferences and social media, because it is not easy to attend a University which has all the top specialists in an area of study under its roof! That is my recipe and it has been working for me,right from Nigeria.

I can cite an example. The Montanuniversitaet Leoben,Austria is the only university on Earth offering Sustainable Metallurgy and they have more than excess funding from Austrian companies to fund their research,but they are silently figuring out a market that don't even exist yet!
That is one great feature of studying in the German speaking world,compared to the English speaking world!

Thegamingorca:
You think with all the networking you can compare yourself to Cornell or Harvard graduates . You must be joking.

If you cannot secure a job in your school of study after investing countless cash in their economy so that you get their blue card and get a pr. Mehn forget it.

You'll have been better off praying to go to canada eons ago

marcondo13:
This is the basic problem of most Nigerians. They generalize issues. You think that Germany is bad?
Come to Austria,and I can assure you that after one semester, you will run and end up in Niger,and not Nigeria! Germany that gives you work permit on arrival as a student, is tough? What will you say about its Austrian neighbour that is unhappy on seeing you smiling on the street,after blocking your access to the job market as a student?

For your information, most of my friends are gainfully employed after graduation in that same Germany that you are talking about!

No doubt, there is systemic racism but survival is for the fittest,and only the strong will survive.

How many Nigerians do you know that were at the top of their game while in school, learnt Deutsch, took unpaid internships, published a minimum of 3 papers per year, attended top conferences every year, spent money on certifications and still did not get a job before completing their thesis? I don't know anyone! If you hear stories,you will be amazed at the toughness of Nigerians!

In the last two months, I have been in Huelva, Spain, Grenoble,France,Aalto, Finland, Leuven, Belgium and just returned from the EIT Alumni Meeting at Budapest,Hungary,all paid for by the European Union. Just google the cost of a night at Barcelo Budapest! Other Nigerian and Benin Republic students were there too.

It was all due to networking,and not because of anything spectacular about my grades!

Lightweight Professional exam cost 1400 euros,and the EU paid for me and two other Nigerians,on top of accommodation and travel expenses! You can contact Fraunhofer Institute,Bremen,and confirm the cost! If I don't move, I will not get that information.

I will advice everyone to up their game,no matter how bad things are! Take it or leave it,without networking,you are dead in Europe,no matter,how good your grade is,except God help you!

marcondo13:
This is the basic problem of most Nigerians. They generalize issues. You think that Germany is bad?
Come to Austria,and I can assure you that after one semester, you will run and end up in Niger,and not Nigeria! Germany that gives you work permit on arrival as a student, is tough? What will you say about its Austrian neighbour that is unhappy on seeing you smiling on the street,after blocking your access to the job market as a student?

For your information, most of my friends are gainfully employed after graduation in that same Germany that you are talking about!

No doubt, there is systemic racism but survival is for the fittest,and only the strong will survive.

How many Nigerians do you know that were at the top of their game while in school, learnt Deutsch, took unpaid internships, published a minimum of 3 papers per year, attended top conferences every year, spent money on certifications and still did not get a job before completing their thesis? I don't know anyone! If you hear stories,you will be amazed at the toughness of Nigerians!

In the last two months, I have been in Huelva, Spain, Grenoble,France,Aalto, Finland, Leuven, Belgium and just returned from the EIT Alumni Meeting at Budapest,Hungary,all paid for by the European Union. Just google the cost of a night at Barcelo Budapest! Other Nigerian and Benin Republic students were there too.

It was all due to networking,and not because of anything spectacular about my grades!

Lightweight Professional exam cost 1400 euros,and the EU paid for me and two other Nigerians,on top of accommodation and travel expenses! You can contact Fraunhofer Institute,Bremen,and confirm the cost! If I don't move, I will not get that information.

I will advice everyone to up their game,no matter how bad things are! Take it or leave it,without networking,you are dead in Europe,no matter,how good your grade is,except God help you!

MarkGud experience

Hello Guys, trust our plans are progressing as anticipated. 2 weeks now in DE, kinda got busy with enrol and various registration. Life over here have been different i must say; culture shocks here and there and everyone minds his/her business.

I was recently at a programme in Dresden by Intap tagged #International talents wanted and i must say there are opportunities in DE most esp. for Software developers/engineering/ICT as most companies representative spoke on these set skills. Germans take time keeping seriously as I missed a train just a min late first day i arrived. Studying here is flexible atleast say in my Uni as one can decide to take more or less than the expected modules, make sure you distinguish which modules are core, update, elective etc and certain credit points must be completed in each of them before u can graduate. As soon as you arrive make u enrol or Deutsch A1 classes as there is a deadline to it as one can easily miss it amidst the struggles to do some other registrations e.g city reg, house contract etc and take this class seriously as the lang is as important as the degree you pursuing(if possible learn up to B1 in Naija before arriving DE). Ahead of lecture resumptions get your time table, seek clarifications wella oo cos here in DE, lecture weeks are divided into Odd and even week, take classes serious and pray all fall into plan. Dont be carried away with making too many friends most esp if they dont share your dreams and aspirations, plan well and dont be in a hurry to announce yourself thereby sacrificing your whole struggle for the smaller glory. I hope things work out well for everyone and be a good ambassador in DE(una know how our story be already for abroad). I pray more of us arrive DE because the number Indians, Egyptians, Cameroonians, Mozambiques wey i dey see here for my side make me ask how do they do it. And fortunately for them, they graduate and get good jobs and you know what that means back home for them. One day one day timid cub will become a roaring lion, let's keep pushing.

Thegamingorca:
Austria is not atleast pretentious. They don't expect you to stay back after schooling.

This is not the case however in germany Lol why give graduates catchy phrases to abandon life tocome school and look for jobs after studies to waste more millions to survive and spend in another 18months when behind closed doors you know the tendency to employ is basically zero. Infact there is no hope for what it is you dream of becoming unless you learn language, marry their broads while hoping to God that you don't divorce before 3rd year. Or if for some reason the job you are applying for there is no German citizen or north American even Mexicans or some from a native English speaking country to Asia equally seeking it.

You are asking why I'm generalizing I'm doing so because the amount of ppl that get these lucrative jobs stay back are so rare that they don't count.
The German system literally believes you should be grateful enough that it has open its doors for you to come and learn free of charge and so you should go back home and impact that knowledge immediately after studying.

The only migrants dey want in their nation are asylum seekers and ppl willing to marry their fatsos


If one can save the amount spent studying in Deutschland for masters one would have bought the Canadian pr for express entry on a platter

From DrLiz

Got to Germany on the 7th, I've been trying to get settled ASAP because pre-courses had started for my program and I needed to attend as many as I could - lots of Maths and physics now.
I just read thru. I might not be able to for a while. About studying in Germany, I think this place is good for studies. They are intense but you get to be one of the best in your field. It's organised and you have to follow the rules. I hope I can give more insight on jobs and my course soon.
As many as are aspiring to study here keep at it and pray. Trust God he'll do what's best for you. Wishing everyone good success. ADs, AMs and Visums. God bless

Hadampson:
Boss, you haven't been to Germany and you already have this kind of mentality. It's better you do away with this mentality if you really want to progress in Germany.

Have you ever asked yourself why other nationalities are getting job after graduation?

Networking is the answer. They network and also, help themselves to achieve their aims of which getting PR is one.

One thing you must know is that nowhere is easy.

Prost

From Opinionator

I left Rhine-Waal for University of Potsdam.

What I can say is that without knowledge of German language, it's not so easy getting a job in Kleve so most international students have to work in nearby cities. especially Amazon in Rheinberg or Krefeld. They pay 11.27 Euros per hour so it is a decent job. The only stress is the distance which is about 1hr30mins on average but you won't feel it since it's not Nigeria where there are potholes, but you will have to wake up earlier than you would have if you worked close to home and get ready to get home late. I'm sure you already know transportation is free within the state as long as you have you your semester ticket. Also, it's not compulsory you stay in the city where your school is. What I mean is, you can stay in a city closer to where there are job opportunities, but also not too far from your school. For those whose priority may be working, this works for them.

Thegamingorca:
Austria is not atleast pretentious. They don't expect you to stay back after schooling.

This is not the case however in germany Lol why give graduates catchy phrases to abandon life tocome school and look for jobs after studies to waste more millions to survive and spend in another 18months when behind closed doors you know the tendency to employ is basically zero. Infact there is no hope for what it is you dream of becoming unless you learn language, marry their broads while hoping to God that you don't divorce before 3rd year. Or if for some reason the job you are applying for, there is no German citizen or north American even Mexicans or some from a native English speaking country to Asia equally seeking it.

You are asking why I'm generalizing I'm doing so because the amount of ppl that get these lucrative jobs stay back are so rare that they don't count.
The German system literally believes you should be grateful enough that it has open its doors for you to come and learn free of charge and so you should go back home and impact that knowledge immediately after studying.

The only migrants dey want in their nation are asylum seekers and ppl willing to marry their fatsos


If one can save the amount spent studying in Deutschland for masters one would have bought the Canadian pr for express entry on a platter

phenzy:
Good evening guys, I am a newbie here. I graduated with a CGPA of 3.77(Microbiology). I need you guys advise cos I would be applying to the following schools come next year.

Masters of Molecular medicine at Frederich Schiller University Jena, Thuringia.

Masters of Neurosciences OR Masters Of
Experimental Clinical Neurosciences at University Regensburg, Bavaria.

Masters of Regenerative Biology and Medicine at Technische Universitat Dresden

Masters of Neurosciences at Bonn University, Bonn.

Interdisciplinary Neurosciences at Goethe University, Frankfurt.

Thegamingorca:
Austria is not atleast pretentious. They don't expect you to stay back after schooling.

This is not the case however in germany Lol why give graduates catchy phrases to abandon life tocome school and look for jobs after studies to waste more millions to survive and spend in another 18months when behind closed doors you know the tendency to employ is basically zero. Infact there is no hope for what it is you dream of becoming unless you learn language, marry their broads while hoping to God that you don't divorce before 3rd year. Or if for some reason the job you are applying for, there is no German citizen or north American even Mexicans or some from a native English speaking country to Asia equally seeking it.

You are asking why I'm generalizing I'm doing so because the amount of ppl that get these lucrative jobs stay back are so rare that they don't count.
The German system literally believes you should be grateful enough that it has open its doors for you to come and learn free of charge and so you should go back home and impact that knowledge immediately after studying.

The only migrants dey want in their nation are asylum seekers and ppl willing to marry their fatsos


If one can save the amount spent studying in Deutschland for masters one would have bought the Canadian pr for express entry on a platter

SOME USEFUL TIPS from Immafrank

If you are having doubts about maybe the embassy saw/read your sent e-mails or not in instances like- sending of confirmation of BA, making inquiries concerning visa delay or other inquiries at alien offices of your intended cities. You can use google mailtrack to track your e-mails (Gmail users only), whenever the embassy or any individual read your emails, it will show a double tick and number of times your email was read and a single tick if it has not been read (you get notification for this, you can disable if you want to).

http://help.mailtrack.io/customer/en/portal/articles/1385608-installing-mailtrack

That is the link to setup google mail track on PC. Note that you have to install google chrome on PC and send the email (gmail) from google chrome but you can check with mobile after sending if it has been read. There are also android mobile set up which i am not very conversant with but for iPhone users, simply download Track - Email Tracking (the app icon is a green capital T ), install and follow up instructions. you can send messages to your friends to test it.

Futhermore, for people coming this winter, Buy Jeans in 9ja, there are some good stores in 9ja with good thick jeans, One low quality jean is 29 euros up here, except you are OBO. Budget about 50-100 euros for good and warm winter jacket, I believe the one you are bringing here is just for warm up, when real cold sets in, Omo nobody will tell you to buy correct one lol, gloves and money for winter shoes esp for places that snows heavily, it doesn't really snow in Berlin compared to Munchen. Get ready to buy thick Duvet. Sometimes you have to close eyes and buy good stuffs, and stop converting to naira when you wanna buy stuffs, it helps sometimes. If you are coming around November to December, you have to get some warm wears from 9ja, else you will perish in cold from the airport. Get 2 mouth extension, change your laptop cable to 2 mouth (not the powerpack, you know what i mean), bring bed spread and curtain, clipper, flashdrive, bring flipflops, liquids are not allowed on the plane but some people travelled with palm oil (make sure to tie it very well and wrap it), if you are using BA, come wit about 400-500 before you unblock, if you are using SL, budget about 2k for the first 4 months depending on the city and expenses, remember you start spending euros from the airport. Don't bring unnecessary stuffs like rice, spag, salt, sugar. Bring garri and noodles and condiments like maggi and curry.

That temporary warms/hoodie from 9ja is very important. I could remember the day I landed at the airport, before coming out of the plane, This German girl i was talking to from the connecting flight started to bring out her winter jacket, I didn’t know whatsup up then, coming out of the plane, see this mad cold breeze that blew, immediately I started shaking because I was juss wearing a top and a soft sweater, big boy hand drop ASAP, as I was breathing, it was like I was smoking due to the smoke-like air coming from my mouth (I don’t know how else to define, nobody told me the cold was like this). Then the bus that will take us to immigration came, all the irons in the bus was damn cold, I was seriously shaking, I was looking like a rain-beaten cat, this German girl offered me her jacket, unfortunately it was small and feminine. We got our loads, it was a little bit warm inside immigration, after we got out, immediately I open my big box, I brought out two reinforcements (still not enough but okay). Luckily for me, the girl’s mom came dropped me off at the main train station which was about 20 minutes drive from the airport, that saved me some stress. it is always the best when you have somebody to meet you at the airport(like a friend or family in the city you are heading to if it has an international airport). If you have money, there are drops at the airport.

For Travels and movement in DE: Download the DB Navigator for general travels (Train, buses, Tram, etc.) and if you are coming to Berlin, download the BVG Farhinfo app (its shows you the fastest route and how to navigate easily) along with the DB navigator. I will say google maps is mostly important for directions on short distances and to know durations of long and short distance travels as well. It is important to have mobile internet on your phone if you are new to a place and going out. There is also FlixBus, it is like a subsidized bus travels mainly from cities to cities and to some EU countries.

For residence permit- for cities where you have to wait about 1 month before you get your card, and that is after 1-2 months before you get appointment in some cases, and you know you need work to survive, you can ask your RP officer on the day of your appointment to give you a temporary work permit, it is like an A4 paper with all your details including passport photo and it will be stamped, the paper will state that you had applied for a RP and the type of permit you will get including the number of days you can work which is 120 full day or 240 half days in a year. First thing first is to get an accommodation which is a prerequisite for city registration and issuance of a RP.

For health insurance, its a 2 way thing, the school will say public health insurance if you are not up to 30 years and private if you are more than 30, my guys not up to 30 years are using Mawista 33 euros monthly and it was accepted. Don't know how they did that but you can make inquiry from your school. TK and AOK is around 107 euros monthly. But public is better than private, if you fall off a bicycle or get hit by a car or have a serious ailment, the public like AOK pays everything but if you are using private, you will pay yourself at first and the private will reimburse some back depending on your insurance subscription with them which you must provide proofs for and trust me, and trust me these treatments are expensive.

And lastly, learn the language while you can, in big cities like Frankfurt, Munchen, Berlin, you might not really need it but in small cities, man you mostly need it to get a job at least A2 level. In all, you need the language to be open to more opportunities.

Job search
if you will be staying in Bremen, Stuttgart, Rastatt or areas closer there or if you have friends living there that you can stay with, you can always apply for vacation job at Daimler Mercedes-Benz, for working students, they pay 15 euros per hour and you get to work 35-39 hours weekly depending on your contract (Do the Math) and you cant combine it with school work, thats why its called vacation jobs.

Here is the website for Daimler Mercedes-Benz: https://www.daimler.com/career/job-search/

from position type, click vacation job.

For Amazon Job: Amazon.force.com

For general job search: de.indeed.com

For buying of used stuffs like gadgets, and also job search in your area: https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de

Use google chrome browser for opening these sites when you get here for auto translations to English.

Also, make sure to always check weather reports before going out because the weather is always funny. Android users download the Weather Channel app from play store, it is auto installed on iPhone.

When you get in, open N26 bank, one of the best online banks here. Activities are online, no bank branches, Fast and easy, Banking app is in English, its is also free including free ATM cards
Downloading of movies, and some games w/ copyright are illegal here, a German bro was fined 13,000 euros for movies download... imagine they fine you that one, you don die be that!!

ALL THE BEST GUYS!!

odimbannamdi:
Can a german resident process SL for more than one beneficiart? Is there a document i can read and possibly reference to convince a close relative who is worried about not been able to process SL a second time as her blood brother is also interested in the Germa venture by next year?

janettee:
Most Nigerian students have a job even before graduating here, some got a job in their field while still studying .

The only few people I know who had a hard time here getting a job after studying are those who who don't know how to speak German.

If you study some courses, you don't necessarily need to know the German language. People in IT can get a job without knowing how to say 'hello' in German.

I hardly know anyone who studied here who isn't doing well in their field. It isn't all that rosy though .


And that's why it's good to always research before studying any course here, some courses aren't just lucrative in DE. Apply to study in big cities, where getting a job wouldn't be difficult. Don't just apply to any city for the sake of studying here. I'm saying this cause I have a friend who lives in a big city and she made three thousand euros a month after tax working during the holidays. And she made this while doing the so called 'menial jobs'. And oh, she doesn't know how to speak German .


I hate when people talk about menial jobs as if it's a bad thing to do. If after graduating and one couldn't find a job or needs to learn German, what's wrong in doing a menial job for the time being?.

Most Nigerians here do menial jobs and it's a fact, I don't see anything wrong with it . Nigerian students or even German students themselves do menial jobs while still studying till they are ready to work in their field.

If you are not ready to do a menial job at least for once, then Germany isn't for you, sorry!. These menial jobs have enabled men to bring over their wives and children to Germany, so you can't tell me nothing!.

Yes it's abroad but it's not meant for you if you are lazy and too proud to do a menial job!.

rockyh:
Pls i would like to know if i can renew my passport in Germany when it expires or I would have to come back to Nigeria for renewal. I read a post which says I have to come to Nigeria for the renewal for those in Germany aw true is this.

janettee:
Yes, a resident in Germany can sponsor up to 3 people.

odimbannamdi:
Bros, i have two questions for you. Very very simply questions that begs for simple answers:

1. Are you presently in Germany?
2. Do you speak out direct experience?

The Canada you made mention of, getting a professional job there is very difficult as well. Thousands of seasoned professionals throng into the country yearly through the express route and the competition for jobs is very fierce. I have colleagues who went over there with high hopes but now drive taxis to survive.

Please, a lot of us here are sacrificing a lot for this German venture. We do not appreciate discouraging remarks especially from someone whose only visit to the German consulate in Nigeria so far is probably for document certification.

Thanks

marcondo13:
My brother,thank you. If I raise the issue of under employment in Canada,it will be as if I am discouraging people from migrating to Canada.
Let him ask anyone in Toronto about this saying "the safest place to have an heart attack,is in a taxi cab because it is most likely that your cab driver is a foreign trained medical doctor"!

No matter where you are,as long as you are connected to the system,and you have already signed an MOU with your village people,forget it,things will be alright though it might take time.

In the German speaking world,the only way to earn their respect,is to work twice harder them though,you may be recognized as a quarter as good as them!

If I tell you stories that I heard in the past of how African students were pampered by the university,but they messed up. We are the ones now suffering for their sins,on top of prevalent racism. This is why we are pushing to change the narrative that black African students are useless. How can a student be receiving 500euros monthly,and still refuse to go to class? Then,when the system retaliate,people will be shouting racism!

Make everybody use him head in order not to spoil the chances of those coming behind them! Nigeria don cast,and is now Buhari's cowlony. Any opportunity to learn new skills that comes to you,grab it by the balls and squeeze the hell out of it!

odimbannamdi:
Thanks Janette.

Is there a material or constitutional document i could read where it is all stated?