HAInews 2023/01 Career Perspectives Economics
What can a job for graduating in Economics look like, is studying abroad or an internship preferable, and what should I look for in applications?
Answers to these and other questions were provided to 35 Heidelberg students at the “Career Perspectives Economics” event. Two Heidelberg alumni shared their experiences and answered questions from prospective economists at the online event on 19 January 2023.
As part of the event series “Career Perspectives”, Heidelberg alumni from various fields of study who have successfully mastered their career entry pass on their experiences to students. In the field of economics, the two graduate economists Markus Rosemann and Jahn Schlosser reported on their careers and the working world for economists and gave tips for starting a career. Markus Rosemann is Chief Solution Expert in Cloud Solution Management at SAP SE, Jahn Schlosser is Project and Portfolio Manager at Omikron Systemhaus.
The two speakers gave insights into their companies in keynote speeches and explained what fields of work they offer graduates of economics and what a typical working day looks like. In the subsequent question and answer session, the participants – from first-year students to master's students in the final phase of their studies – were particularly interested in the topics of stays abroad, transfer from studies to work, application tips and the topic of mentoring. For example, the question of whether it makes more sense to study or do an internship during a stay abroad was addressed: Jahn Schlosser explained that, if possible, both important experiences should be used, not only to get to know culturally different approaches to imparting knowledge, but also to gain insights into working life abroad. Markus Rosemann emphasized that good English is indispensable for starting a career and that a stay abroad is therefore always advisable, since work in the field of economics nowadays almost always takes place in an international context. Looking back on his own studies, he would make them even more international today, he explained when asked.
Markus Rosemann and Jahn Schlosser recommended that students take advantage of mentoring to benefit from the experience of others: For example, mentoring offers the opportunity to have applications proofread, to find “sparring partners” for various topics, or to gain insights into companies and contacts for internships or theses. Both speakers are also involved as mentors at HAI and welcome inquiries from potential mentees.
HAI's mentoring program connects students as well as alumni and alumnae with and among each other who are seeking or offering support and advice. All network members can participate: both as mentors who would like to pass on their experience in various areas and as mentees who are looking for support. Via a mentoring list in the online platform HAInet, mentees and mentors can find each other independently or with the support of HAI in order to exchange information about studies, career or other topics. More than 130 network members from 28 countries are already available for this purpose.
Contact for all questions about mentoring: mentoring@alumni.uni-heidelberg.de
