From Learner to Leader: How Upskilling Helped Me Take the Next Step in My Career

“I started my bachelor’s degree after my Abitur (the German high school qualification needed to enter university), a dual study program with the Deutsche Bahn AG where you study and work simultaneously. That was how I entered the company. In 2019, they offered me a job after I graduated, so I continued to work in tariffs and sales for DB Regio AG. I was working my way up, always learning as I went, and after three years of working full-time, I felt settled in my position. But I also felt like I needed to push myself more in my professional career and was cautious of not becoming too complacent.”

Oliver is in the Part-Time Master in Management program at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. Having experienced the flexibility of a dual studies bachelor’s program, he was eager to find a similar format again for his master’s studies. “I wanted to deepen my theoretical knowledge in management and finance and gain practical insights from fellow students outside my industry. I wanted to challenge myself and go beyond the boundaries of what I already knew.”

This is often the case for students in the part-time master’s program. Students with some years of work experience but already feel they need that next step up in their career. Especially those who wish to broaden their network, improve their language skills (the program is entirely in English), and gain new insights. “The biggest reason for choosing WHU was the networking possibilities,” says Oliver. “Not only during the course with my classmates but also with alumni. I attended a few In Praxi meetings in Stuttgart, where I live, and it’s invaluable to have access to advice from senior professionals. Deutsche Bahn is known as being a big family. But it means that the people you meet are those you’ve met in previous years and have moved between departments. So, while it is a specialized environment, it can also be a closed one. We don’t have much contact with other industries, so that wider perspective was helpful for me.”

Of course, working full-time while studying can be a tricky balance. Despite the course being part-time and lectures on only four days a month, it does require a certain level of motivation and self-discipline. “It’s definitely challenging,” explains Oliver. “However, you know it’s only for a limited time, so there is light at the end of the tunnel. I balance my time by starting at 7am, working on my master’s degree, and then starting work at 9am. But when the course is so exciting and relatable, and you see the immediate value of the content, it’s easy to stay motivated. Compared to my bachelor’s degree, the quality of teaching is astonishingly good. They have so much experience and knowledge; there was a lot to learn from professors.”

And it’s those insights that Oliver has already taken into the workplace with him. One of the topics that seems to have had the most significant impact is leadership, especially as he took up a new role at DB Regio AG in December 2023, leading a department. “Professor Gerpott’s course on managing the human side of organizations helped me a lot as I was still trying to find my leadership style. I always analyze whether my leadership motivates or enables my team to work toward a common goal. I use things such as insights about different parts of the company, which help my team understand the bigger picture and their role within the company. I’ve learned there is no single approach to leadership, but it depends on the situation, the individual, and the organizational culture.”

As such, he was selected from within Deutsche Bahn to attend the One Young World conference in Belfast in October 2023. One Young World is an annual summit that brings together young talent worldwide, with speeches and presentations by influential leaders from politics, business, and humanitarian causes. “I was one of 40 delegates selected by Deutsche Bahn from different divisions in Germany. The summit focuses on the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals, with last year’s conference focused on peace and reconciliation, mental health, climate, emergency education, and future food security. There were former presidents, Nobel prize winners, industry leaders, and celebrity activists. It made me consider my position from a financial and climate sustainability perspective. It imparted a sense of responsibility not only for my role but also that the company can support a higher purpose. I want to keep learning and challenging myself,” he says. “Most importantly, I want to be one of those people who can enact change and make an impact for the future.”

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