Give it a go!

“Magdeburg has many lovely spots, if you know where to look, with lots of inspiring and wonderful people who are committed to the city and do great things.” This is how Verena Walterbach has viewed her home town since her student days. Now a consultant, she completed her Master’s degree in Educational Science, specialising in intercultural and international educational research, in 2019. This was followed by various roles as an intern, student assistant and a position as a research assistant at the Chair of Pedagogy and Media Education, as well as at what is now the Office for Equality and Family.

Verena now works as a consultant for academic career development at the Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology (LIN) in Magdeburg. Her areas of responsibility include, amongst other things: conducting advisory meetings, providing individual career guidance, managing infrastructure and raising awareness of career-related issues, as well as liaising with the management, HR department and event planning (e.g. mentoring programmes, career talks, etc.), and creating a safe space and ensuring confidentiality for researchers at various stages of their academic careers.

At the same time, she is currently pursuing her own doctoral qualification in Chemnitz in the field of biographical research on academic careers. Verena uses her experience across all these areas to create synergies between her current professional role and her own doctoral qualification.

Verena Walterbach originally applied for a Master’s degree in Migration Education in Oldenburg. She had already found accommodation when she received the response: her documents had not arrived on time, which is why her application was rejected. After some consideration, Walterbach decided to apply to Magdeburg. She had previously taken part in the Centre for Social World Research and Methodology Development’s (ZSM) methods workshop on qualitative educational and social research there, where she later worked as a student assistant herself. “Based on that memory, I thought I could deepen my knowledge of qualitative empirical research at the University of Magdeburg. However, I then opted for Educational Science with a specialisation in intercultural and international educational research, which was research-oriented,” explains the current lecturer, describing her decision.

A decision she is very happy with. During her studies, she met the late Dr Thomas Reim, a sociology lecturer at OVGU, and stayed in touch with him. Together they organised research workshops, wrote articles and discussed her current PhD project. This led to a friendship. To this day, the graduate takes part in the ZSM’s workshops and is also a member there herself.

For all those graduates who are thinking about their own career paths, Walterbach has the following thoughts she would like to share with them: “Try things out: straight-line career paths are extremely rare, and that’s the beauty of it. We learn a lot about ourselves and for the future from the detours. Link subjects that interest you – such as coursework – with topics that occupy you in your free time; talk to people in fields you find exciting; do internships; take part in a mentoring scheme; do voluntary work; or travel. “You can always choose a different career path after your studies,” explains Walterbach, referring to her own journey. She recommends various ways to discover yourself, such as internships or voluntary work, whether before or after finishing your studies. 

Walterbach herself took part in a two-and-a-half-month Workaway programme in Vietnam during her studies, where she volunteered to teach German and English. Board and lodging were provided, but there was no pay. The experiences she gained in Vietnam are priceless to her and a perfect example of non-linearity.