(Re)discovering your own home as well as the world
Although Vanessa really wanted to get out of her home town of Paderborn back then, the city is a recurring theme in her life. As often as she left to gain new experiences, her home always remained a constant. "I've always been drawn away from Paderborn, but somehow always back again."
The Paderborn native was interested in business topics from an early age, which is why she completed her business baccalaureate in 2010. Vanessa then went to Paderborn University to study International Business Studies. "The degree programme was tailor-made for me: IBS allowed me to combine my interest in economics with my passion for foreign languages. I actually wanted to get away from home, but IBS was only available at two universities in Germany and one of them was right on my doorstep."
Vanessa completed her bachelor's degree in the standard period of study and wrote her thesis in the field of marketing. During her time at UPB, she also worked as a student trainee at Wincor Nixdorf (now Diebold Nixdorf) and built up her own network in Paderborn. Nevertheless, she regretted a little that she hadn't taken the opportunity to spend a semester abroad during her Bachelor's degree: "It was quite exhausting to go through the six semesters like that." So Vanessa quenched her wanderlust with language courses abroad instead: before starting her Bachelor's thesis, she spent her semester break in Bournemouth in the UK, and then shortly afterwards - just six months later - travelled to California for three months and took part in a four-week language course in San Diego.
Off to new shores!
The distance from home then came mainly with the Master's programme in Göttingen, where Vanessa studied Marketing and Distribution Management. As she had built up a network through her work at Wincor Nixdorf in Paderborn, she was able to secure an internship abroad at Wincor Nixdorf in Utrecht in the Netherlands during the semester break.
But the wanderlust remained, so Vanessa supplemented her Master's degree with a semester abroad at the University of Adelaide in Australia, which she embellished with trips Down Under - from the Blue Mountains, via the Great Ocean Road to Melbourne, once into the outback and along the entire east coast in a campervan. But when her Master's degree in Göttingen finally came to an end, new plans had to be made and so Vanessa rewarded herself with a backpacking trip through South America after completing her Master's thesis. Travelling is her passion, which is why she unsurprisingly accepted a job at the travel portal Urlaubsguru in Dortmund.
Going back to get ahead
But she was drawn back to her roots: to Paderborn. Since April 2020, Vanessa has been Marketing Manager at TecUP, Paderborn University's technology transfer and start-up centre, and is extremely happy with her new job. "I have the feeling that I can develop best at the university. It's nice to work with young, creative, intelligent people." She has also not yet ruled out doing a doctorate.
Her current job offers many opportunities for learning and further development and she can identify very well with her work at TecUP and garage33. "I've also already considered becoming self-employed. I like to keep my options open. At TecUP, I learn something new every day, meet new people, expand my network and exchange ideas with students and founders. I particularly like that."
Because further development is very important to Vanessa. She sees this opportunity for young people at university. But you should also look around alongside your studies. "Part-time jobs and internships help you develop both personally and professionally. You benefit from the practical experience and the network for the rest of your life." Stays abroad in particular have helped Vanessa in her own development, because you gain new perspectives and discover new paths for yourself.
A new view of her home town
She can only recommend these experiences - just like studying at Paderborn University. However, Vanessa did not share this opinion from the outset: "It was only when I changed universities for my Master's degree that I really realised the advantages of UPB. When you only study at one university, you don't know any different and sometimes don't even realise how good you have it."
Vanessa sees the selection of working student positions and internship opportunities offered by large corporations, medium-sized companies and start-ups in Paderborn and the surrounding area as the biggest advantage. This makes it possible to gain relevant work experience alongside your studies and finance them at the same time. Vanessa herself even commuted from Göttingen to Paderborn at the end of her Master's degree to work as a student trainee at Benteler. "When looking for a part-time job, the range of positions on offer in Paderborn was simply much greater. The train connection is good and you don't necessarily have to be there during your Master's thesis. I wrote most of it in the Paderborn University library."
Vanessa also sees the advantages of a campus university, i.e. not having to walk through the whole city to get from one course to another, as positive. Short distances to sports facilities or the technology park, where she now works, save time and stress. In addition, because the city is not so big, there is always something going on, whether it's Libori, the spring festival, the AStA summer festival or a university party. "Seeing the city and the university from a distance has given me a new perspective on things. Now I can see the many opportunities that are open to me."
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
- about TecUP, the Technology Transfer & Business Start-up Centre at Paderborn University.
