From a Small City in India to Bavaria: How Arjun Patil Built a Career and an MBA Sponsorship in Germany

Arjun Patil's journey from a mechanical engineering graduate to a project management professional in Bavaria began with a connection to Germany that started when he was just 9 years old. 

He first heard about the country when a cousin's job opportunity there fell through because of financial reasons. Years later, drawn by Germany's reputation for precision and quality, Arjun decided to build his own career there. He started his job search with only A2-level German but eventually secured a Werkstudent role through an unexpected coffee chat at a career fair, where he approached the company with a cover letter explaining what he could offer. Over the next 2 years, he learned German up to B2 level, completed his bachelor's thesis, and transitioned into a full-time project management role with the same company. Today, more than 3 years after joining as a working student, Arjun develops internal project management software while pursuing an MBA in International Business Management and Leadership at Kempten Business School. The MBA is fully sponsored by his employer and integrated with his full-time role, and Arjun is committed to staying with the company for another 2 years.

For Arjun, building a career in Germany meant putting in the work beyond his formal qualifications. From learning the language from scratch to finding his first opportunity through a simple conversation, his journey has been shaped by the choices he made to create a place for himself in a new country.

Arjun Patil's Journey at a Glance

• From: India
• Background: Mechanical Engineering graduate
• Location: Allgäu region, Bavaria, Germany
• First Opportunity: Werkstudent role secured through a career fair coffee chat
• Language Journey: A2 German → B2 within 2 years
• Career: Werkstudent → Bachelor's thesis → Full-time Project Management
• Current Role: Develops internal project management software
• Course: MBA in International Business Management and Leadership, Kempten Business School
• Funding: Fully company-sponsored MBA
• Commitment: Staying with the company for 2 more years after the MBA

“Here’s Arjun, in his own words.”

Q. What first drew you to Germany?

It goes back to when I was around nine years old. A cousin of mine had an opportunity to move to Germany for work but couldn't go through with it for financial reasons. That was the first time I ever heard about the country. Later, since I was studying mechanical engineering, I was drawn to Germany specifically because of its reputation for quality and precision engineering. Even then, Germany wasn't an easy or obvious choice for me financially, but it made sense given my field.

Q. Was Canada or any other country on your radar at the time?

Canada was actually the more popular destination back then, but it was never really an option for me financially. Germany, while still a stretch, was the more realistic path given where my interests and my degree were pointing.

Q. How did you land your first job in Germany?

It took real persistence. I applied to more than 150 jobs online, but at that point my German was only at an A2 level, and I never got a single positive response through any online application. What actually worked was my university's career fair; there were about 63 companies present, and I made a point of talking to every single one of them. I shortlisted ten, applied to three, and got interviews with all of them. Two didn't work out, mainly because my German still wasn't fluent enough at the time. The third, the company I still work for today, offered me a position as a Werkstudent, a working student. I approached it differently there; I wrote a cover letter focused entirely on what I could actually offer them. It wasn't even a formal interview; the email literally called it a coffee chat. I sat down with the person who's still my manager three years later; we talked through a project and what new things we could try, and three weeks later I had a contract.

Q. How did that working student role evolve into what you do now?

That Werkstudent position eventually turned into an internship and then into a full-time role. I also did my bachelor's thesis with the same company, on which project management module would suit them best. My path there has genuinely been varied; I started out designing cutting machines and vending equipment, spent a year in sales, then built internal software tutorials, later did an internship developing the concept for a Project Management Office department, and now I work full-time developing internal project management software. None of it really followed a straight line from my original degree, but each step built naturally into the next.

Q. What's it been like navigating your career here as someone who moved from India?

Something I've learned is that you can do everything right and still find yourself in situations where you have to keep proving yourself, professionally, culturally, and politically, simply because you're not originally from here. It doesn't matter how qualified or confident you are in the room. I don't think this is unique to Germany either; India has its own version of this through other systemic factors. What I will say is that this country has given me real opportunities, and I'm genuinely grateful for that. If anything, it has made me more humble and aware of what I need to do, what I have to be thankful for, and what I can give back. That's actually part of why I got into youth work; it's meaningful to me to work for and with young people here.

Q. Has this journey come at a personal cost?

Yes, and it's something I still sit with. When I first moved, my family wasn't happy about it, and since I'd taken a personal loan with installments starting from the very first month, I was so consumed with finding a job, paying that down, and building a life here that I didn't go back to India for two years. When I finally did make the trip, it was three days before my mother passed away. I sometimes wonder if I was too focused on building a better life for myself at the cost of that time with my family. I did support them financially throughout, but that particular loss isn't something any of that can really balance out. It's just something I carry.

Q. Looking back at the career decisions themselves, any regrets?

Genuinely, no. From a career standpoint, I don't think I could have done meaningfully better than the path I took. If you make a decision, you stick to it and take responsibility for whatever follows, good or bad. That applies whether it's a second bachelor's, a second master's, a PhD, whatever it is. You're here to learn something, and you have to make your own way out of it. I've seen plenty of people come here just for the sake of studying, without putting in real effort, and then wonder why the job doesn't materialize. Nobody hands you anything easily in another country; you have to work harder than someone who was born here with all of that built-in access, and that's just the reality, not something to take personally.

Q. What's life like for you now in your city, outside of work?

I've lived in the same small city in Bavaria for three years now, and I know most people, places, and shopkeepers around me at this point. It can feel quiet for other international students who studied alongside me, but for me it's become genuinely comfortable, walking down to get coffee in my slippers, having the barista know my order before I say it. My first two years here were mostly about learning the language; I'm now at B2 in German. Once that settled, I picked up cycling around the Oberallgäu region, exploring, talking to locals about local history, and even documenting it in a small Instagram series I keep just for myself.

Q. What's next for you?

I'm currently doing my MBA in International Business Management and Leadership at Kempten Business School, sponsored fully by my company and integrated with my full-time job, so I don't have to step away from work for it. In exchange, I've committed to staying with them for two more years after I graduate. I'm not usually someone who likes being tied down by a contract, but this arrangement felt like a fair trade-off, especially since I'm working toward German citizenship, which requires staying here another few years anyway. If I have to be here regardless, I might as well make the most of it.