MBA Alumni Profile of Olga Florentyna-Schneider

Why did you choose BRS-University for your MBA studies?
Was there anything in particular that made you choose BRS-University? 

Location wise – my partner and I were living in Bonn since I decided to move to Germany and BRS-University was the only university that offers an MBA program with this special focus on both, CSR and NGO Management. I had difficulty continuing my studies in Germany that fits with my former professional background (social media marketing) because I earned my bachelor's in the humanities program. Thus, this MBA degree is the best fit I could have.
 

How was your academic and professional background prior to the MBA program and what has led you to the decision to start the MBA program at BRS-University? 

Every class in the MBA program is memorable. As far as I can recall, the lecture sessions were the best enjoyable way to learn for me. It was interactive and fun. The MBA program prepared me to tackle and solve the daily business problem by learning scientific theoretical theories and their approaches in daily business practice.

Having a program that only is held on Friday evenings and Saturdays – it allowed me to fully use my 20 hours a week right as a working student, which helped me a lot financially and personally with regard to the extension of my working experience. I have been working since I just started my studies: generally, I worked three days a week, then invested one day to review the materials for the next upcoming class, and I remember, in the summer season, I allowed myself to invest one extra day to travel around North-Rhine Westphalia and Germany. I fully recommend spending a lot of free time for traveling around during the time of studies or in the semester breaks. These were one of the best days of my life.

Tell us about your time at our BRS-University.
What did you enjoy most during your time of studies? 
How did the MBA program help you to shape your professional profile?

I did not join or neither was active in any particular group but sometimes, when I had some free time, I attended some Indonesian events instead because I acquired German/international contacts through works.
 

Tell us about your time outside the University.
What kind of extracurricular activities were you involved in?
Which events should not be missed to connect with other internationals?

It was relatively easy for me to have working experiences in which supported me a lot financially as a student. After graduation – with the same optimism, I had as when I was a student – I started sending job applications but unfortunately with no success. It was a difficult time because I personally had no idea where and how I could optimize myself in order to get a full-time job in Germany. I felt like the job market in Germany do not give me a chance at all - until I found a Facebook post of a friend, that suggested a temporary job vacancy for Indonesian speaking professionals in a project for a management consulting company in Bonn. So I applied and I got this job! After one year of working in this freelancer position, the company offered me a permanent job position. I was so lucky and, of course, accepted. Now, since mid of 2017, I am working on various projects, from market research to HR recruitment for numerous German companies. 

Without the MBA degree program at BRS-University, I may would the required and advanced knowledge about how to run a business from a wider perspective. In my case, only an MBA degree enabled me to get this expertise which I could not gain in my previous bachelor's degree in Russian Studies.

I would recommend the MBA program "CSR & NGO Management" to my friends and colleagues because the program enables great opportunities for potential career changers, also when apply with another academic background and no experience in business management. The MBA degree can definitely advance the career, especially if the candidate is a foreigner that plans to go back to his/her home country after graduation, I would say.

When planning to stay and getting a footstep in the German job market after graduation, then I´d highly recommend everyone to get familiar with the German language on a business level during the time of studies. It is very difficult to find a job when having no or just basic German language proficiency. Along with the HR and recruitment projects in my current job position, now I can better understand the reasons why German companies and organizations are struggling to hire foreigners as part of their team members without any or little German language skills: simply because German is usually the language used for internal communication and so one of the main requirements for most of the vacancies! 

ALUMNI WISDOM
What advice would you give MBA program freshman to make the most of their time here? If you could offer one piece of advice to current students what would it be? 

One big advantage is to know early before you start your MBA studies if you would like to stay in Germany afterward, if so, learning German is essential and urgently necessary if you plan to stay and apply for a job after graduation. The learning conditions are just as perfect as the BRS-University offers German language classes at many levels and enrolled MBA students can take these extracurricular courses for free. Speaking German is not only giving you a chance to have a better academic and professional experience but also helps you a lot in daily life.

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"Die Zeit" Newspaper Article with Olga Florentyna-Schneider
Interviewed by Eva-Maria Hommel, March 2015

Read the full article >>

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Thank you, Olga, for sharing your experiences and your personal story with us.
We wish you all the best on your further career path.

Your MBA-Team