How maths and statistics still accompany India today
Six years ago, India completed her Bachelor's degree in International Business Studies (IBS) before graduating with a Master's degree in International Economics and Management (IEM). Her studies always left her enough time to gain practical experience and discover career opportunities and requirements. Maths was a constant companion.
India is certain that she has learnt an incredible amount between the lecture hall and the library over the past few years - but also through internships and working student activities. The Paderborn native opted for her Bachelor's degree programme in IBS because of its versatility and still raves about the many skills she was taught during this time: "I had to combine different subjects in order to master this degree: Foreign languages, statistics, marketing, numbers and economic aspects."
Small-town flair, study groups and maths exams
The Paderborn student looks back fondly on her time at university and has no regrets about staying true to her home town and not moving to another city or spending a semester abroad like many of her friends. According to the 30-year-old, Paderborn University exudes a constantly palpable sense of community, which is created by the small-town flair and the central location of all the university buildings. This made it easy for the current key account manager to make contacts and find study groups.
Study groups were particularly valuable for the maths exams. Many first-year students underestimate the amount of maths involved in business studies. India also had those moments "when things got stuck somewhere". That's why she often sought support from the Maths Mentoring Office during her first semesters. Today, India looks back and says that the many hours of mentoring not only paid off in the Bachelor's exams, but also in the rest of her Master's programme. She remembers Prof Dr Dietz and the thrill of the maths exams particularly well: "Everyone always said that the exams were super difficult," so the 30-year-old spontaneously decided to have a "1-to-1 check" with the professor to put her knowledge to the test. India still remembers this situation as a special event: "I learnt the tools of the trade the hard way and was then able to apply them in complex modules."
And even today, in her day-to-day work as a key account manager, she still encounters numerous tasks that require a good understanding of maths and analytical thinking. "I actually work very intensively with numbers every day," says India about creating target groups based on customer data as part of multidimensional analyses, which primarily require knowledge of statistics and maths. India also benefits from the "mathematical tools of the trade" from her student days when calculating offers and budget negotiations as well as when measuring the success of campaigns.
Gaining experience away from the lecture theatre
"My IBS and IEM degree programmes offered me a good opportunity to try things out on a part-time basis and get to know my own strengths and weaknesses." And India makes the most of the time alongside her studies:
- two years in a medium-sized company
- two years in project management at Diebold Nixdorf
- two years as a working student in marketing at Siemens
The six years as a working student and numerous internships alongside her studies helped India to acquire specialist knowledge as well as many soft skills such as improved comprehension of new tasks or increased communication with customers and colleagues. The Paderborn native describes this input as a "great addition" to the theoretical content of her degree programme. She gained insights into many areas of the company and was able to discover her personal strengths, which meant that India quickly realised that her heart beats for sales: "I realised back then that I wanted to work with customers because I really enjoy consulting and communication," says the former student, explaining her path to her current job at Bertelsmann.
Giving 100 per cent in her day-to-day work
In her day-to-day work, India wants to give 100 per cent every day and apply the methods and her affinity for numbers from her studies. She advises customers and helps them solve their problems by offering suitable services. India also implements cross-channel campaigns for individual target groups to acquire new customers. "This requires very well-founded targeting data and extensive reach in the respective channel," so the key account manager is in daily contact with an analysis team to define the best selection for customers. India therefore looks after a handful of key accounts on a daily basis and helps them to develop further with online and offline marketing services and to organise cross-selling and up-selling processes.
Looking back, she sees her career start as "positively challenging". In contrast to her time as a working student, it was no longer just about being allowed to carry out support activities. She is now used to incorporating herself and her experience into concepts and ideas and taking on responsibility. The key account manager also enjoys the business trips to Berlin and the numerous trade fair visits in her job: "I like this personal contact with people and communicating with different characters." India used her time at university to try things out and specialise through modules, specialisations and student traineeships - something she still advises students to do today. She also recommends creating a balance and not neglecting "real life besides the library and lecture theatre". "The energy from travelling, sport and partying can then be invested in your studies," she appeals.
India's 6 most important tips:
- Start studying early!
- Set yourself small learning goals during the semester too!
- Don't lose the fun of learning!
- Trust yourself and your abilities!
- Don't be discouraged by setbacks, but see them as an incentive!
- Experience can be gained not only in the lecture theatre!
Do you want that too?
Discover the diversity of economics in our Bachelor's degree programmes. Each degree programme usually lasts six semesters and prepares you for a career start or a postgraduate Master's degree.
More information about
- about the Bachelor's degree programme in International Business Studies.
- to the M. Sc. International Economics and Management programme
