Klaudia Anna B. - Bachelor Student From Poland
Yana Immis
Meet Klaudia Anna was a Microsoft Business & Marketing Support Manager for Small and Medium Size Enterprises.
2020 UPDATE: A lot can change in a year! Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path. In order to realize my vision & goals during the Pandemic COVID19 I got the chance to become part of the Amazon family so I started a new chapter in Business Development during the pandemic and create long-term value for customers by driving digital innovation strategies with Amazon Web Services.
You can read her study in Germany success story here.
| Place of Birth | Kluczbork, Poland |
|---|---|
| Nationality | German (Polish) |
| Where did you live? | Würzburg, Nürnberg (Germany), Bangkok (Thailand) |
| Education Level Prior to Relocation | Kindergarten |
| Reason for moving to Germany | Elementary School |
| When did you move? | 1992 |
| How old were you? | 3 |
| Are you still in Germany? | Yes |
| What is your current occupation? | Working full-time |
| What is your future goal? | Launching Travel Blog and Developing into AI and Digitalization Topics |
| Would you like to stay in Germany? | Yes |
Chapter 1: The Struggle
Political changes brought us to Germany. Coupons for food were not enough. We could not afford to buy an orange. With a very high unemployment rate, there was no vision for young people. My parents decided to leave Poland to give me a better future.
We moved to a Bavarian city close to Nürnberg. We were allocated to the mass migrant shelter, with shared living space and bathroom between other 8-10 different Russian and Polish families. We almost had nothing. Luckily, we received social housing from the German government. Yet, until this date, my parents refuse to move out of this flat, because they are very thankful. We were one of the first families who received social benefits for economic migrants.
To give me a better future, my parents have given up on a lot of their own hopes and dreams.
They always believed, that my future highly depends on my education: “Make the best of it, because that’s what will bring you forward”.
My parents spent all their savings on my education, knowing one day it would pay off. I am the only child and I had a big responsibility coming my way.
Back then the Internet wasn’t developed, and my parents could not inform themselves of opportunities.
In elementary school, I have been downgraded because of the limited German language, and I was not allowed to go to Realschule. I went to Hauptschule instead. 2 years later, I advanced into the Middle school, but I was not allowed to go to Gymnasium, again because of the limited German language. It seemed like a vicious circle.
I decided to break the chain of disappointments and failure and, when I was in Middle school, I applied for a Bank as a trainee. Not only have I gotten the job, having completed 2.5 years of the traineeship, but I was also the first one from the dozen people who got an unlimited working contract in the bank.
I was crying. Was I happy or sad? I was very proud of myself, but I didn’t want to work in a bank all my life. I have always been a fighter; I knew I had more potential. I am from the family where unemployment was always the case and I wasn’t brave enough to say no to this contract. I should be quiet and thankful, I thought.
3 years later, I regretted my decision. Every single day I was not happy with my job. I saw happy students; I saw happy customers fulfilling their dreams and I realized that I had been stuck in development. I didn’t see the world.
Chapter 2: The Dares
I dared to go to the USA for my dream trip. At Grand Canyon, I sat down to think for a second. I knew that this decision had been correct all the way. There was so much more of the world I could discover. That day I decided on my dream: to work in the American company and to travel the world.
Having returned to Germany, I dared to quit my job without asking my parents’ approval to focus on the most important aspect of life – Education.
I finished my Abitur within a year. That, considering I have not been to school for 6 years has been an accomplishment itself. I applied to a university of my choice & received an offer letter. Würzburg is a nice city – not far away from home – but far away enough to have my distance. I did a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources and Media Management.
After 3 semesters, I applied for a semester exchange in Thailand and moved for half a year to Bangkok. I chose this place because of easy logistics with travelling across South East Asia and Australia – I highly recommend it, because it’s a good hub for travelling and the monthly costs are very low.
It was new cooperation with Thailand, and I was the only western girl in the middle of the Thai school. I was “Lost In Translation”. I found new friends on a forum, started travelling around and became “The Voice of Germany” to bring Thai and German cultures together on the topics of student mobility and educational tourism.
For my internship semester, I dared to apply to Microsoft in Munich and landed in a Product Marketing department. Looking back now I realized, that due to the harsh life my family has gone through, I developed a character. These character traits helped me in being who I am today.
I used all my vacations while studying and semester breaks to travel the world. I was saving money. Why? I thought I would spend it on building a house, but I spent it travelling and it was worth it!
From an internship, I have been promoted to a working student at Microsoft. For my Bachelor Thesis, I could not find a better company for an ‘Example to Follow’ in terms of Digitalization and Modern Workplace.
In Germany, working students’ positions are reserved for students, who are studying or recently graduated. I was positively surprised, that right after my Bachelor Graduation, I was offered full-time employment.
Reminiscing me at the Grand Canyon:
An American Dream company and a full-time job?
Yes, of course!
Chapter 3: The Advice
People throughout the time were telling me I would never be able to achieve good results, including my teachers and friends. I was at the lowest school level. I started from the bottom of the bottom, but I never listened to them, because I listened to my inner voice. My inner voice was louder than the haters.
No matter what social status your parents are or have been, you can achieve everything. I am a Business & Marketing Support Manager for Small and Medium Size Enterprises at Microsoft now and I see myself developing and learning more about the digitalization, because this is the future.
Everyone knows I work there, but nobody knows, that despite having a job, I had no apartment in Munich for a while.
I was travelling from Nürnberg every day. I woke up at 3.00 AM to catch the bus at 4:30 AM arriving at the central station in Munich on time so that I am punctual in the office to connect, network and learn.
I was staying in the office very late, disregarding my social and private life just to get the job I wanted. I was even wondering if I could overnight there.
Outside of work I have a life as well. My hobbies include travelling (obviously), photography, videography, Latin dancing (Salsa, Bachata) and cooking. I cook international receipts from all the countries I have been to.
This year, I will start my travel blog with a mission to help people discover the world on a small budget. I want to give inspiration and guidance on how to believe in yourself and to make it happen.
Having travelled to 60 countries by the age of 30, I have a lot to tell, including robberies, as well as 5200-meter height 30-hour bus rides and meeting amazing people who leave great memories in your life.
Never stop exploring!
The beauty of this city is that there are people from all over the world – you can find your tribe and you will connect to the right people. It is so wonderful, that I started calling Munich my home after 1.5 years of living here. Every time I travel, I am happy to return to my base.
Nowadays, my parents are driving to visit me in Munich, and they know their child has fulfilled their dreams. All the dreams my parents had, I made them even bigger. They have a 2nd key from my flat, and they are welcome at any time.
Every day I wake up thinking about them and thanking them for giving me the future full of oranges that we can afford. They worked hard for this to happen and to pay them back I will continue developing.
