US employers value my degree
Calvin Xu studied business intelligence and process management at the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Today he works as a Senior IT Analyst at NASDAQ.
Mr. Xu, why did you study at a UAS in Germany?
Universities of applied sciences are very practice-oriented, and the instruction in small groups allows students to engage in intensive exchange with fellow students and professors. My university cooperates with local companies which offered us the chance to work on real-world projects outside the classroom. This early practical experience proved especially helpful later on when I was looking for jobs.
Did your programme meet your expectations?
Absolutely. I especially appreciated having the opportunity to work with local start-ups in Berlin and even collaborate on projects with established German corporations like Deutsche Telekom. We could often decide on the type and scope of work ourselves and then pursued it with the backing of our professors.
Did companies in the United States recognise your degree?
My impression is that degrees from Germany have a very good reputation because of the high quality of academic training the students receive. This explains why a degree from Germany is so highly valued by American employers. And I had no problem getting my German degree officially recognised in the US. That’s why it was easy for me to find work after graduation.
This interview was originally published by DAAD in the brochure "Practice-Oriented and Readily Applicable: Studies at Germany's Universities of Applied Sciences"