Rodrigue Moussa - MBA Student From Lebanon

It is never late to come back to studies. Family is never a challenge to go back to an MBA school and to achieve your dreams. Read the story of Rodrigue from Lebanon, who never stops learning!

Place of Birth	Beirut, Lebanon
Nationality	Lebanese
Where did you live?	Beirut (Lebanon), Dubai (UAE)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Bachelor Degree
Reason of moving to Germany	German language studies and MBA
When did you move?	2012
How old were you?	34
Are you still in Germany?	No
What is your future goal?	Executive MBA
Where would you like to live?	Lebanon, my home!

Chapter 1: Germany

After relocating to Germany in 2012, I started learning the German language and I got to the level of B1.

Since I come from Mechanical Engineering Bachelor and work background, I would need to have technical German skills to get the same level of job in Germany.

I would have to be writing emails and documents and I did not feel comfortable using the language just yet.

To be fluent in technical German it would take me years. I wouldn’t stop my career for that. At that time I had 11 years of experience. Instead of facing the language barrier I decided to do my MBA in English there.

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I considered Germany my vacation after 11 years of work experience.

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Studying again was definitely something refreshing. I like reading and I finally had time for it! Frankly, it was the first time having time to do something for myself other than work.

If you are looking for making a break from a work routine - go back to studies, an MBA in Germany was the right choice for me! I could stay, I could come back. It’s all about the choices you make.

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About my MBA studies in short: I was not getting a degree. I was getting the knowledge. I kept focusing on reading these mandatory books. Just for the thesis only, I read 8 books within 2 months. In my MBA group, we were around 25, including 3 senior students. The other students were much younger. Everyone from different countries and ages – it was easy to integrate.

The international community was so interesting for us: Albania, Bulgaria, India, Palestine, Egypt, USA, China, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Germany, Ukraine, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, Russia, most of them were from Russia 😊

You cannot find such a cool mix everywhere, since Germany is in a very strong geographical position as the middle of the world, I got to know those cultures and how to deal with them. I had to adapt and so did they. It was a nice experience.

Coming to Germany I was sure that an MBA would be easy with my 11 years of experience. I was wrong! I was happy to know I don’t know everything.

“Education is learning what you didn’t even know you didn’t know. ”

— Daniel J. Boorstin

I was very satisfied with the program, because I learnt many new things from the professors. Case studies, books, exams, and professors – all helped me in my future job promotions. To give you an example, in my current company Marketing team backs us up. I never before had the marketing experience. Same story with the Accounting department. I wouldn’t be able to manage that. Oh, I totally forgot the Sales team! All from the case studies and professors.

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You do not become an expert in all after MBA but you can manage various teams after MBA.

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Things I did not like in Germany:

· Language barrier - I could not convey messages easily.

· Limited availability of schools – I had to choose what was available. No consultant helped me. Now probably there are many more school options to choose from.

· Separation of the garbage and other things to get used to which is like a parallel universe for someone from Lebanon.

· Doing things yourself – here, in Lebanon we have people helping with households for everything. You can hire someone (cheap labour).

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In Germany we are cheap labour. DIY – Do it yourself! Haha

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Germany was a very nice stop for me. Why? MBA title and international experience definitely helped me on my way to success. Yes, it was just a stop. The degree is there but then there is your effort for the result that you have. My aim was always my career and here is where my life took me next!

Chapter 2: Dubai & Lebanon

I got what I had been looking for. I read all the books. I finished my thesis within 2 months because I was working day & night to finish it before graduation when my colleagues didn’t even start. But an invitation from Dubai for a better job has been waiting for me already…

I’m not so young to make immature decisions, you know. I have a family.

The company was offering me an upgrade in Dubai and I had to choose an unsure future in Germany or Dubai and I chose the UAE. Germany is a dream country for people who are hungry for education or job who do not have a family yet. For those who have a family please come to Lebanon or the UAE 😊

I left Germany right after graduating from the MBA International Business program to Dubai with my wife and my son.

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A few years later, I found a better job in my home country Lebanon but my wife and my son stayed in Dubai. Ironically, I returned to the same company I was working for before moving to Germany. I am involved in manufacturing business. I came back to the same company, but not the same position, now I am operations manager in a multinational company with 10,000 employees.

In 2018 we got a baby girl and I could not travel anymore weekly or bi-weekly to Dubai back and forth and I moved my whole family to Lebanon.

Home is where you are from.

Currently, we plan to stay in Lebanon. For sure, in the future, I will look for an executive MBA in the top Lebanese school so that it is around the corner. I will move further in my career.

I live where I want to live. I work where I want to work. I have my family nearby and I would say I am happy. Are you? If not, you know where to start now 😉

Chapter 3: Advice For Mature MBA Students

1. Looking back now, would I study in UAE or Lebanon instead of Germany?

No. We have top MBA programs in my country or in the UAE as well. But 95% of nationalities there will be from the same country. The global classroom is what makes the difference.

2. Do not aim for aiming a degree, aim for knowledge!

Consider an MBA as the bridge from the past to the future. And if you work hard and study hard MBA directs you. But its all in your hands if you succeed further.

3. I think nowadays if you want to succeed and to move in your career, MBA is a must. It is not anymore an option.

Engineers, hear me out!!!

Even if you are a doctor or you come from any other field, you should have an MBA.

In my company, accounting & sales departments are reporting to me. With a mechanical engineering degree, that would never happen. I got more responsibilities, I learnt how to manage my teams. Mechanical Engineers can be in charge of the department. But you have no influence on Marketing & expansion of the company. As a manufacturing engineer, you manage technical people.

Yes, the Mechanical Engineering Bachelor degree basis is amazing. But be ready to be back to school to take your career to the new level. Different parts of the company functions are being learnt in a short period of time within 1- 1.5 year time and that is exactly what you need.

4. Do people need an MBA or can they learn it on YouTube?

They can. But they will never have interactions with colleagues from all cultures.

I would not advise online programs. The result will never be the same. Cherish the human interactions: the spontaneous and impulsive teamwork decisions and the difference in management styles and risk facing/avoiding styles. How business is done in all the other countries: isn’t that all incredibly interesting?

5. For students with 10 years of work experience, I would recommend learning German before doing anything else.

Or choose a school that provides German language lessons! In Lebanon, we speak Arabic French and English. German is an advantage but then with the French language, I could work my way around in France. On the contrary, Germany is an excellent country. I wish more universities would offer free German language lessons for all enrolled international students.

6. If you want to study in Germany in English it is easy.

But make sure to parallel learn the German language. If you speak German and English with 10 years of work experience you will have no problems absolutely finding a very top-ranked position in a company in Europe.

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If looking back now I would be offered a job in Dubai and in Germany at the same time, I would stay in Germany. The language was the only barrier.

Ok. I stop now. The nostalgic moments nearly made me cry. Greetings to all my classmates from the class of the MBA. We made it!

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Kelly McCready - MBA Student From The USA

“Thanks to Germany, I found out that an MBA gives you a competitive advantage, especially MBA from abroad.” Read Kelly’s story here!

Place of Birth	Denver, USA
Nationality	American
Where did you live?	Colorado, Florida, Pennsylvania (USA)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Bachelor Degree
Reason of moving to Germany	Adventures, MBA
When did you move?	2012
How old were you?	25
Are you still in Germany?	No
What is your future goal?	I will be CEO
Where would you like to live?	Pittsburgh, my home!

Chapter 1: Bachelor

I was born in Denver, Colorado. My mother is originally from Pittsburgh hence when I was 3 years old we moved back to Pittsburgh. Up until now, I have nearly been everywhere in the USA! Our country is so big and rich in things to see that I could keep on discovering it all my life.

As a teenager, I was an above-average high school student and dreamt of going to Ivy League school. I was very active in sports: soccer, cross-country tracking & horseback riding. I did pretty well in college, but I was more focused on work and life and did not focus on grades. I did not make it to the Ivy League but anyway I wanted to leave Pittsburgh and experience something different, so I got admission at the University of Colorado which actually I loved at the end!

My first job was not what I wanted to do. I finished college in 2008 and it started to go into recession in the USA and I panicked last minute and tried to convince parents to stay longer in the college for 1 year. They persuaded me to graduate. All my friends had jobs and I did not focus on that. Luckily I got an internship with the university. I did not like the cold calling from the donations but some things I did enjoy.

I decided to take the job because it was the least amount of change. I could be on campus, instead of class I was going to work to the same comfort zone. This way I extended my stay in the college.

I left a year later to work in Florida. I did not enjoy living there but I got the job I enjoyed. The first job after university, I wouldn’t know what to apply for so I had to take what was available. I wanted to do events for non-profit companies I would love that. I was also working on the side of a restaurant job. Through connections, I got to know a medical device company and that’s how I landed in my dream job.

Unluckily, with the full recession in the USA, not many opportunities to find jobs were available and it felt like the right time to go out of the country and experience something new.

Chapter 2: MBA

I am from the USA. Why did I decide to move? Because I never studied abroad when I did my undergrad and there is so much of the world I haven’t seen yet, I was 25 and I didn’t want to waste any more time and I thought I would move to Germany.

I wanted to learn and to speak another language. It was the best way. Luckily I learnt it in school so I would have the base.

My family and friends in the USA do not travel abroad much. I would advise future generations to do so.

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I thought it was important to experience different cultures in business and in life to be successful in business and life consequently.

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My first impression? I arrived a day before Oktoberfest. It was amazing. It felt like a relaxed culture, I made great friends quickly and it was a festival season so it was great.

After a couple of weeks I decided to take a GMAT, I studied for 1 month but unfortunately didn’t score well. I am not a good test taker. I applied to schools that do not require GMAT and I found a place at a private business school in Munich and I got in for my MBA. Interesting how the thought of doing an MBA never came across my mind back in the USA. That’s what happens when you travel – you get inspired!

I loved:

· That we had students from all parts of the world with the perspectives on the way the business is running in the different parts of the world and the way how our education is different.

· To have a thesis, which we did not have in the USA for my Bachelor's. I wrote my MBA thesis about the Ritz Carlton and the effects it has on the economy (where they decide to build hotels). Some sectors and income go up or not. In conclusion, I realized that real estate prices go up with the rest of the points remaining at constant. If you would like to read my thesis, hit me up!

· Sales class. I didn’t expect that. I haven’t worked directly in sales. I liked the professor I thought he was smart and his perspective was very interesting. I loved it! That course made total sense.

· The international marketing class.

· That my school was small with the people I could meet daily, recognize, know names of and become friends with.

· That the administration was accessible.

My MBA program was 1 year, I wasn’t really invested in a longer-term program, I wanted to come back for my career.

I travelled a lot! To Spain, to the Czech Republic and around Germany! I wanted to see the world and I got a lot of confidence doing MBA and paying for it myself. Every country has its own flavor and I found Germany to be very livable. But all good things come to an end and when my year in Germany was over I came back to the USA.

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I realized pretty quickly as much as I was enjoying the experience I missed America.

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Refrigerators being big enough, having a car and driving everywhere, peanut butter! My mom was sending me rice crispies and mac’n’cheese.

It wasn’t so much that, one of the things in the USA that I really value is that our world in the USA is big. We are still American 2000 miles away. In Europe, everything is so close. You cross Germany within 20 hours drive. In the USA in 20 hours you get not that far. If you calculate where I have been in the USA it is so much bigger than all of Europe. In one country we have all cultures and nationalities.

Thanks to Germany, I found out that an MBA gives you a competitive advantage, especially MBA from abroad. I did not know how my MBA would influence my applications but I realized it was easier to get a job with it.

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As a female too, but my MBA contributed to me getting more call backs and a higher salary (by a lot).

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In the Interviews I was curiously asked about Germany, Europe, MBA abroad, my interviewers were very curious. In a way a competitive advantage. People want to ask questions. It is good to stand out. I think education from Europe helped my CV stand out and arouse curiosity

Now I am in Pittsburgh now I am home. I feel good here. Would I move? Probably not. But everything still has a price, if the CEO position is offered at any part of the world with a big wage gap to my current standing, I’d move.

Chapter 3: CEO

Work never seemed to be a burden to me. I like to work, I like the satisfaction I get from working.

My career is very important to me.

Yes, there are hard days but then it doesn’t usually seem so hard to me.

I started working early and the reason for that was my passion.

To be able to afford horseback riding you have to spend a ton of money and time.

My parents asked me to pay at least half of my expenses for keeping a horse.

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This is my way to becoming a CEO. What is yours?

I got my first job when I was 14

As soon as I could drive I got a job at a mall.

When I was in middle school I had business as a clown

I would go to churches and do tricks with animals and balloons.

I did university jobs, fundraising jobs for non-for-profit organizations and I worked on a side in the restaurant until I secured my first dream job in Florida

My first full-time job was there I was doing medical device sales. It is then when I started developing my passion for a certain job type and industry. I travelled a lot between 6 labs in the country. I was looking into the markets where we could develop. It was rather marketing than a sales job.

I felt like doing an MBA was the right thing at that moment

After MBA the first job you get will be influenced by your MBA. Any job after or any employer after will no longer look at your MBA but rather at your recent work experience.

MBA sometimes is a minimum requirement for the big corporations to filter out people when screening. Well, it is not the kind of company I want to work for anyway. I like small to mid-size enterprises because you as a personality and as a team member you have more contribution and decision making. I like to be able to participate. Your job and role are bigger.

I applied for technology companies project/coordination management jobs in Washington and I successfully got in.

In the same company, I moved up the ladder from product to sales management and then pure sales.

Buying my own horse was an achievement

I have been striving for it for my whole life. My first horse I bought before I turned 30.

Afterwards I did sales consulting for 6 months (freelancing) and product management consulting for education and technology firms

I got very lucky because I had this job offer due to my network.

The company I currently work for is Danish (Area9), I work fully remotely (from home) and I do sales, well I am very shy but I am VP of sales to be precise 😊

I absolutely love my job and how much we contribute to the future of people.

We sell education software to corporations that focus mostly on military and healthcare sectors (adaptive learning). I travel so much. I have almost 100.000 miles a year (160.000 km). I have a lot of benefits – free bags, first-class, miles to use for my personal trips, lounges and many others.

Working from home is the same as going to the office but the main difference: I can wear my pajamas (haha). I do the same routine, I do my coffee, I work from 8 to 5. I believe people working from home can be more productive due to fewer distractions. It is helpful to be in an office sometimes as well to come over and ask questions at the desk.

The majority of salespeople are in Europe, mainly Denmark, we are handling the sales team in the USA here remotely. I attend a lot of conferences, fairs and client meetings hence the travel. We have weekly Monday morning cross-country meetings with the whole team to see where we stand.

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Next step: CEO

Dear recruiters, I am accepting the CEO offers from the education space. I found my passion for this industry. Companies are the ones who benefit the most from all of us investing in education. It is time they start investing in all of us. In 30 years many jobs won’t exist anymore, jobs change all the time, technology is changing we need new skills and we should educate people. Companies should participate in upskilling people.

Maybe in the company where I work now, maybe I will start my own. Up until now, I was gathering experience in technology, implementation, customer services, sales. I want to learn more skills and combine it all together to be the Chief Executive officer.

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In my free time when I do not focus on becoming a CEO, I travel and I ride my horse a few times a week and participate in fox hunting. I cook and do my own stylish interior design. Once or twice a year I do adventurous trips to Bali, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Russia.

Go abroad! But only if you will get something out of it. Don’t just go abroad. I wish I had a little bit more of a plan. Just try.

There are no wrong decisions. There are only the choices you didn’t make.

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Klaudia Anna B. - Bachelor Student From Poland

Meet Klaudia Anna was a Microsoft Business & Marketing Support Manager for Small and Medium Size Enterprises.

2020 UPDATE: A lot can change in a year! Not all storms come to disrupt your life, some come to clear your path. In order to realize my vision & goals during the Pandemic COVID19 I got the chance to become part of the Amazon family so I started a new chapter in Business Development during the pandemic and create long-term value for customers by driving digital innovation strategies with Amazon Web Services.

You can read her study in Germany success story here.

Place of Birth	Kluczbork, Poland
Nationality	German (Polish)
Where did you live?	Würzburg, Nürnberg (Germany), Bangkok (Thailand)
Education Level Prior to Relocation	Kindergarten
Reason for moving to Germany	Elementary School
When did you move?	1992
How old were you?	3
Are you still in Germany?	Yes
What is your current occupation?	Working full-time
What is your future goal?	Launching Travel Blog and Developing into AI and Digitalization Topics
Would you like to stay in Germany?	Yes

Chapter 1: The Struggle

Political changes brought us to Germany. Coupons for food were not enough. We could not afford to buy an orange. With a very high unemployment rate, there was no vision for young people. My parents decided to leave Poland to give me a better future.

We moved to a Bavarian city close to Nürnberg. We were allocated to the mass migrant shelter, with shared living space and bathroom between other 8-10 different Russian and Polish families. We almost had nothing. Luckily, we received social housing from the German government. Yet, until this date, my parents refuse to move out of this flat, because they are very thankful. We were one of the first families who received social benefits for economic migrants.

To give me a better future, my parents have given up on a lot of their own hopes and dreams.

They always believed, that my future highly depends on my education: “Make the best of it, because that’s what will bring you forward”.

My parents spent all their savings on my education, knowing one day it would pay off. I am the only child and I had a big responsibility coming my way.

Back then the Internet wasn’t developed, and my parents could not inform themselves of opportunities.

In elementary school, I have been downgraded because of the limited German language, and I was not allowed to go to Realschule. I went to Hauptschule instead. 2 years later, I advanced into the Middle school, but I was not allowed to go to Gymnasium, again because of the limited German language. It seemed like a vicious circle.

I decided to break the chain of disappointments and failure and, when I was in Middle school, I applied for a Bank as a trainee. Not only have I gotten the job, having completed 2.5 years of the traineeship, but I was also the first one from the dozen people who got an unlimited working contract in the bank.

I was crying. Was I happy or sad? I was very proud of myself, but I didn’t want to work in a bank all my life. I have always been a fighter; I knew I had more potential. I am from the family where unemployment was always the case and I wasn’t brave enough to say no to this contract. I should be quiet and thankful, I thought.

3 years later, I regretted my decision. Every single day I was not happy with my job. I saw happy students; I saw happy customers fulfilling their dreams and I realized that I had been stuck in development. I didn’t see the world.

Chapter 2: The Dares

I dared to go to the USA for my dream trip. At Grand Canyon, I sat down to think for a second. I knew that this decision had been correct all the way. There was so much more of the world I could discover. That day I decided on my dream: to work in the American company and to travel the world.

Having returned to Germany, I dared to quit my job without asking my parents’ approval to focus on the most important aspect of life – Education.

I finished my Abitur within a year. That, considering I have not been to school for 6 years has been an accomplishment itself. I applied to a university of my choice & received an offer letter. Würzburg is a nice city – not far away from home – but far away enough to have my distance. I did a Bachelor Degree in Business Administration with a focus in Human Resources and Media Management.

After 3 semesters, I applied for a semester exchange in Thailand and moved for half a year to Bangkok. I chose this place because of easy logistics with travelling across South East Asia and Australia – I highly recommend it, because it’s a good hub for travelling and the monthly costs are very low.

It was new cooperation with Thailand, and I was the only western girl in the middle of the Thai school. I was “Lost In Translation”. I found new friends on a forum, started travelling around and became “The Voice of Germany” to bring Thai and German cultures together on the topics of student mobility and educational tourism.

For my internship semester, I dared to apply to Microsoft in Munich and landed in a Product Marketing department. Looking back now I realized, that due to the harsh life my family has gone through, I developed a character. These character traits helped me in being who I am today.

I used all my vacations while studying and semester breaks to travel the world. I was saving money. Why? I thought I would spend it on building a house, but I spent it travelling and it was worth it!

From an internship, I have been promoted to a working student at Microsoft. For my Bachelor Thesis, I could not find a better company for an ‘Example to Follow’ in terms of Digitalization and Modern Workplace.

In Germany, working students’ positions are reserved for students, who are studying or recently graduated. I was positively surprised, that right after my Bachelor Graduation, I was offered full-time employment.

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Reminiscing me at the Grand Canyon:

An American Dream company and a full-time job?

Yes, of course!

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Chapter 3: The Advice

People throughout the time were telling me I would never be able to achieve good results, including my teachers and friends. I was at the lowest school level. I started from the bottom of the bottom, but I never listened to them, because I listened to my inner voice. My inner voice was louder than the haters.  

No matter what social status your parents are or have been, you can achieve everything. I am a Business & Marketing Support Manager for Small and Medium Size Enterprises at Microsoft now and I see myself developing and learning more about the digitalization, because this is the future.

Everyone knows I work there, but nobody knows, that despite having a job, I had no apartment in Munich for a while.

I was travelling from Nürnberg every day. I woke up at 3.00 AM to catch the bus at 4:30 AM arriving at the central station in Munich on time so that I am punctual in the office to connect, network and learn.

I was staying in the office very late, disregarding my social and private life just to get the job I wanted. I was even wondering if I could overnight there.

Outside of work I have a life as well. My hobbies include travelling (obviously), photography, videography, Latin dancing (Salsa, Bachata) and cooking. I cook international receipts from all the countries I have been to.

This year, I will start my travel blog with a mission to help people discover the world on a small budget. I want to give inspiration and guidance on how to believe in yourself and to make it happen.

Having travelled to 60 countries by the age of 30, I have a lot to tell, including robberies, as well as 5200-meter height 30-hour bus rides and meeting amazing people who leave great memories in your life.

Never stop exploring!

The beauty of this city is that there are people from all over the world – you can find your tribe and you will connect to the right people. It is so wonderful, that I started calling Munich my home after 1.5 years of living here. Every time I travel, I am happy to return to my base.

Nowadays, my parents are driving to visit me in Munich, and they know their child has fulfilled their dreams. All the dreams my parents had, I made them even bigger. They have a 2nd key from my flat, and they are welcome at any time.

Every day I wake up thinking about them and thanking them for giving me the future full of oranges that we can afford. They worked hard for this to happen and to pay them back I will continue developing.

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