How Florence Gained Career Confidence
Discover our tech Orientation course through the eyes of a student with Florence, a mother of two, who is making her dreams come true with Masterschool.
Hi! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Florence. I’m originally from Africa but have been living in Germany for 6 years now. I have a degree from my country, but never worked in my profession.
When I moved to Germany, I started a family and then had kids and never focused on my career. Once my kids were both in school, I felt like I needed to do something, but I didn’t know what. It’s been so long since I finished university.
What career options were available to you? How did you get to Masterschool?
There was nothing. I tried to get a job in social work, using my degree in Developmental studies from my home country, in Uganda. After several rejections, I understood that given the way the German system is set up, I wasn’t going to be able to get a job in my background.
I understood I needed to find a new path.
That’s how I understood I need to study something that can help get me there, and that’s how I got to Masterschool and signed up for the Orientation course.
Want to learn more about the Orientation course? Click here.
What’s a typical day like in the life of Florence, during the Orientation course?
7:00-8:00 I wake up at 7, get my two kids ready for school.
8:00-9:00 After I drop the kids off at 8, I come back, make my coffee, open my computer, and look at the exercises for the day. I check if there is anything I didn’t finish the day before and prepare myself for the first live session.
9:00-11:00 Live session #1
When we have a break after the live session, I usually make a simple dinner for my kids to eat for when they come home.
13:30-15:00 Live session #2
15:00-18:00 After the second live session, I have a few more hours to study. Actually, I asked the Job center if there was a way to cover the cost of childcare after school so that I have more time to study, and they said yes – anything that makes it easier for you to study. So only around six, I pick up my kids.
18:00-20:00 We have dinner and some family time until my kids go to sleep.
20:00-21:30 If I’m not too tired, I will finish any material that I need to complete for tomorrow and by 21:30pm, I am in bed.
Besides learning about the tech industry and building your career plan, what value did you gain from the Orientation course?
How do you think your newfound confidence will impact your future in tech?
During the course, many industry professionals came to speak to us – one woman in particular, I forget her name, she explained about the confidence you need when looking for a job. It doesn’t matter how much you know: if you can’t put it out there, no one will know.
That’s when I started to understand how important it is to learn to express myself better, even though I haven’t even finished learning Python or HTML. Once I learn the skills, I know I will be able to sell myself better and can start applying for jobs with confidence.
We were a small, intimate group and throughout the course, we talked freely, and
Want to learn more about the Orientation course? Click here.
It must be challenging to study full time and raise two kids. What keeps you going?
Focusing on the end result.
I realized that I can do it, I can continue and finish the advanced Data Analytics program, and I can get a job, and then I will earn more money. At the end of the day, it won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.
Who do you think would most benefit from the course? What advice would you share with others who are debating whether or not to join?
If you are struggling with following your dream because you don’t know enough German, I would encourage you to join the Orientation course. It is also in English.
Or, if you don’t know anything about tech, I would also encourage you to join the course so you can learn more about it and find what you can be good at in the IT industry.
If you do have an IT background, the course will understand where to focus your efforts – if it’s in Data Analytics, or Cyber, or Engineering. It can help you understand what field to study. For me personally, I joined the course to learn if there is a different career path in IT that is different from what I knew – everything was new to me and I wanted more information to help me understand what to do next.
