Osanna Lechner - MBA Student From Armenia
Yana Immis
A girl from Russia with Armenian roots and temper proves us that women can do an MBA, excel in career and have a family at once. You can read her study in Germany success story here.
| Place of Birth | Yerevan, Armenia |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Russian (by passport) Armenian (by heart) |
| Where did you live? | Yerevan (Armenia), Moscow (Russia), Munich (Germany) |
| Education Level Prior to Relocation | Bachelor Degree |
| Reason of moving to Germany | MBA Program |
| When did you move? | 2010 |
| How old were you? | 25 |
| Are you still in Germany? | No |
| What is your current occupation? | Family & Working In a Bank in Switzerland |
| What is your future goal? | Career Advancement |
| Would you like to come back to Germany? | Yes |
Chapter 1: Moscow
I was born in Yerevan in 1985 and I lived there until I was 9 years old. This was my carefree and happy childhood. I was like a tomboy, always outside with friends, climbing trees and rooftops, stealing apples. My parents are patriots and they love Armenia. They would have never left if not the conditions. It was a very hard time for them, because of USSR collapse it got to the point that we had not enough to eat, we had no light, no electricity, no water. We were not living, we were surviving. One day, my mother simply couldn’t stand it anymore.
My parents’ main language was Russian (they learnt it in school) and they decided to take a risk and relocate to Moscow. They were 39 years old when they moved with nothing but the baby and 100$ in hands. They achieved everything themselves. My father was a very influential person in Armenia, but for Russia, he was nobody: no connections, no work experience. He had to accept not the job he wanted, but rather any job available on the market. He was literally downgraded to hand working jobs. My mother was working in 3-5 different places teaching English. They worked all day. Every day. For 5 or 6 years. I didn’t see my parents at all.
In 1996 we finally managed to break even and start family businesses (Mom with her travel agency, Dad with his construction company). With the peak of tourism from Russia, my mother successfully launched a travel agency and brought 40 people-tours to Italy on a weekly basis.
I had the opportunity to study at a university and to travel and I would like to thank my parents for this opportunity. They earned money with hard work but instead of saving money, they spent it on the family. We know the value of money: we travelled, we went to restaurants, we gave each other presents. My parents are amazing and I am so proud of them. To pay back, I worked for around 5 years for my mother’s business in Russia.
The idea of studying abroad came to me spontaneously. A lot happened in my life that made me leave Moscow.
My argument: I wanted to live abroad or I had to marry a guy (all of my friends got married, got children) but no normal Armenian man from a good family was on the radar. And since, in Armenia, you do not marry a man, but rather his whole family, it was rather challenging to make everyone happy.
My mother’s argument: it was her dream for me to study abroad.
My father’s argument: he was against. Simply against. A Caucasian Armenian man always keeps the only child nearby.
But things changed with 2008 – 2009 crisis. My father noticed young MBAs flooding the companies in Russia: with no knowledge or work experience, but with American or European education. For some reason (what always surprised us) anyone with an MBA was earning a better salary from scratch. My father decided I should get an MBA as well.
Of course, my father aimed very high and I could not keep up with his ambitions. We applied to the best Business Schools in the world, but I didn’t have the English language test. I missed all the deadlines as well while waiting for the test results. I didn’t know where to go what to choose: which university, in which language, private or not…
At one of the study abroad fairs, I met a university representative with spot admission and I secured myself a place at a Swiss university. After we analyzed the costs of Switzerland I decided to choose the same major German program.
My father gave me and my mother a present for the 8th of March (Women’s day – it is a very big holiday in Russia) – a flight to Munich. I loved it with all my heart: it is something between Yerevan and Moscow. You can walk to the center from any corner. It is a beautiful city. Some people are kind and some are snobs - the usual.
Chapter 2: Munich
I arrived in Germany with a lot of hopes and excitement. I was scared a bit, as it was the first time I would be living alone. I found an apartment through an agency renting out furnished flats.
Apartment viewing predefined my future and I had no idea about it. The flat was great, I moved in right away; the landlord was a very nice and charming German guy, we bonded right away and became really good friends…
… and that was the beginning of my life in Germany. In a few years, I started calling that flat home and that landlord became my husband. Our son is Russian-German and we are living in Switzerland now.
I started my MBA in Munich. But I was crying at home after classes. I was so much interested in the subjects, but I could not express myself in the English language. Things changed when I made friends with my amazing classmates. Every day we went out – to see the city, or to a club, bar, or restaurant. I registered at an expat forum, InterNations, and started attending events and parties. Living alone without parents is great - you can use your time how you want. Day time for yourself. Evening time studies. Weekends for enjoying life.
Mary, Juliana, Ioulia, Catherine
You helped me graduate. Thank you so much, girls!
After I graduated, it took me 3-4 months to find a job. I went through all possible interviews and despite my work experience in Russia, I did not feel comfortable applying for a job. I only applied for internship positions (worth 500-900 Euro monthly). I didn’t know the German language and I only wanted to get work experience from Germany on my CV.
No one offered me a job and I gave up. This is a definition of overqualified.
Now I know. Don’t do my mistake. Never downgrade yourself, rather aim higher! You can always settle with a company.
I called my mother and told her I would be leaving Germany with the first flight to Moscow.
A company found me on InterNations, contacted me and offered me a full-time position (instead of an internship). To quote them precisely: “Are you nuts? You are not an intern. Are you 19 years old with no experience? No! We will offer you 2500 Euro instead of 500 Euro.” Thank you Jurgen and Dan!
I called my mother and told her I would not be leaving Germany with the first flight to Moscow.
I set up an accounting system and organized a PayPal shop. In fact, I also helped 2 of my classmates to get jobs here: Marisa, Alina. I stayed with this lovely company for 2.5 years until my relocation to Switzerland to support my husband in 2013. Due to the nature of his business (investment), he realized, market conditions there were much more attractive than in Germany.
Chapter 3: Wollerau
If someone like you would lend a hand back then (7-8 years ago), when I was planning my study abroad trip, it would have been great. You know why?
I had trouble with the English language. I didn’t qualify for many schools because I didn’t have any language certificate. I only had 5.5 IELTS which was lower than what the majority of universities require. First half a year was very difficult because despite understanding the material, I couldn’t explain myself
I had trouble with the visa. When I was writing my MBA thesis, I didn’t have permission to work. I had to find the way out myself
I had trouble with the job search. I was about to give up and leave Germany after Graduation because I just couldn’t make it. It would have been great to have someone to talk to back then, who understand, who is around the corner to help out
There are many students who want to go abroad from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Armenia. They do not know where to start and where to find information. Who can help them apply? What is required and in which language & format? If you are a person in Germany, who can help and direct, it would be so great for prospective students. If you existed, when I was thinking of applying to study abroad, it would have made my life easier. I had no one in Germany to ask for help from. But at least (*giggle*) I did not have trouble with accommodation search.
After Yerevan, Moscow, and Munich I was shocked when I realized I need to live in a village with 7,500 inhabitants. It takes me 40 min to get to Zurich and to other big cities. At first, I had no friends, no university, no work. Only my husband, who was working all day long.
That same feeling I had when I first moved to Munich. I felt horrible. But things changed: I got engaged in the Russian speaking community and was often travelling around Switzerland and home to Russia. We got a baby boy and once he received Russian and German passports, we moved to Moscow to my family for the time being. I am working in Switzerland and my child is here. I brought my family here to the flat nearby. I am working in CIM bank with Russian and English speaking clients as a Relationship Manager for the last 2 years: I like my job, I love my family and it is not that bad here at all.
I am from Armenia, I thought we would never leave, but we did. Russia was my home afterward and I dreamt of moving to Italy. Nope, I moved to Germany. I hated it at first, but then I fell in love with the city and didn’t want to leave, but obviously, there seems to be a trend – I left for Switzerland to support my husband. I hated Switzerland, but now I found my home and my family here. What happens next?
It is like a circle, everything gets aligned. I would have never imagined marrying a German. But hey, he is the only person I know, who can handle my explosive Armenian character. I want to be back to Armenia one day, but we have to make complicated choices in our life and family is a priority above all.
Bottom line: life never happens as you wish. Things will change upside-down, so don’t even bother trying to plan.
