Graduation during Corona pandemic

3 years ago, I received the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship (Hungarian Government Scholarship) to study Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the Corvinus University of Budapest (one of the best business schools in Hungary). Therefore, the past 3 years have been the most interesting part of my entire life. I had the opportunity to study business management with 27 international students and received lectures from seasoned professors and experienced professionals. Our class was so multicultural that it had international students from Mongolia, China, Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Laos, India, Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Morocco, Argentina and Jordan. Some were English teachers, accountants, financial officers, marketing managers and some were industrial engineers. Even though everyone had very different backgrounds, in the end, we made lifelong friends.

I was supposed to graduate in July 2020 but I extended my studies one more semester to write my thesis better. So, most of my classmates graduated on time and I graduated in February 2021. Hungary opened everything in the summer after the first lockdown of 2020. So, my classmates had the opportunity to receive their diploma from the MBA head and had a small graduation ceremony as well. We know that everything was online in the past two years. In February 2021, Hungary was just beginning to vaccinate its citizens and everything was on strict lockdown. I also went to Germany for the ESC volunteership in January. Therefore, I defended my MBA thesis and took a general exam online. The saddest part is I received my diploma by post from Hungary to Germany and there were no family and friends around me to celebrate my two and half years of hard work.

This summer again everything was open in Hungary and new graduates were having graduation ceremonies and sharing their nice photos on the internet. At that moment, I got very jealous (laughing). This September, my little sister came to Hungary to study as well. Therefore, I took my holiday and went to Budapest to see my sister after 3 years. Meanwhile, I used this trip to take graduation photos at my university and I brought my suits from Germany to Hungary and wore it for just the shooting :). You are seeing the result of my shooting from the picture! I am very proud that I am graduated with a Master of Business Administration, but sadly I am unemployed in Germany.

It is really difficult to find a job in Germany if you don't speak the local language. Moreover, it is especially hard for the citizens of non-EEA countries as they need a visa or residence permit to work here. My receiving organization for the ESC volunteering did not provide the language course except OLS and there is no community to engage with in a tiny village in the countryside. Therefore, I really did not make an effort to learn German and there is no environment to study as well. I want to stay and work in Berlin after my volunteering contract ends. I really hope that I will find a job soon! If anyone or any organization is hiring, please refer me. I have 6 years of marketing management experience and now I am specializing in digital marketing and UX research.

Fingers crossed!