It’s time for another guest blog. Burcu Akcay is delighted with her cooperative Master’s in Business Information Systems. Her project placement was an opportunity to develop the learning journey for managers in the field service. In this blog, she explains why she chose this course and what happens next.
Even while I was studying for my Bachelor’s in Business Information Systems at Cologne University, I already knew that I wanted to continue to a Master’s degree. “But a cooperative study program?” To be honest, I had never really considered it. I was fortunate enough to have completed an internship at management consultancy firm Detecon, where I worked directly for Deutsche Telekom as part of a project. I soon realized how steep my learning curve was and how much I enjoyed working in the Deutsche Telekom environment. This gave me the opportunity to put my theoretical knowledge from university into practice, which meant that I learned and developed a great deal. It became clear that a cooperative Master’s program would be perfect for me, and that it needed to be at Deutsche Telekom.
I was given responsibilities straight away
My practical placement during the Master’s program was at Deutsche Telekom Außendienst GmbH. This was the ideal opportunity to familiarize myself with Deutsche Telekom’s operational business. The field service provides customer service for every aspect of the Group’s product portfolio, the main emphasis being on delivering new connections and troubleshooting for customers throughout Germany.
I was invited to head up a training project for managers in the field service, which entailed developing a learning journey for them. This journey provides managers with a functional knowledge of Deutsche Telekom’s business. Their theoretical knowledge is reinforced with practical exercises on test interfaces developed in-house. My project involved talking to various units in the Service division, such as Technical Customer Service and Corporate Customer Service, which gave me invaluable insights into adjacent units. It’s vital to broaden our horizons if we are to continuously improve our standards of service.
Employment opportunities
As well as the opportunity to experience a broad variety of tasks within the Group, the cooperative Master’s program also offers the prospect of a permanent role at Deutsche Telekom. There are two possible routes. For Master’s students who perform exceptionally well, the manager may declare a so-called “private posting”, which means that the graduate is hired directly by their placement unit. The second option is the in-house job exchange for junior staff, which is ideal for those seeking a new challenge within the Group.
In my case, I was taken on by my placement unit. I learned a huge amount from my placement in the field service and this project. My learning curve rose exponentially. Because my degree program had equipped me with wide-ranging operational experience as well as academic knowledge, I thought carefully about the direction I wanted to go in. The answer soon became obvious. Ever since starting my studies, I have been passionate about Digital Business and Transformation, and I am therefore continuing my journey in the Deutsche Telekom world. My next challenge has already begun. I have transferred to the Business Customers – Digital Business & Transformation unit at Telekom Deutschland, where I will be helping to shape Magenta Business as a member of the tribe.
