Career planning during studies means finding out step by step what interests you, gathering practical experience and building contacts. Your career goal does not have to be fixed in the first semester. Those who start early apply more purposefully later and know better what the start of your career (in German) should look like.
Key points at a glance
- Career planning starts with the question of what suits you and what interests you. Your career goal may still change later.
- Internships, a working-student job, part-time jobs and volunteering give you insight into fields of work and fill your CV with content.
- Build a network of fellow students, lecturers, alumni and professionals across your whole studies.
- A thesis with a practical link can make your entry easier.
- Plan your application, CV and job interview in good time before you graduate.
Career planning during studies: what to do in which phase
There is no fixed order, but each phase has different priorities. The table gives you a guide. How quickly you progress depends on your degree programme and your personal situation.
| Phase | Focus | Possible steps |
|---|---|---|
| Start of studies | Get to know your interests and strengths | Try a student group, use advisory services, explore fields of work |
| Middle of studies | Gather practical experience | Plan an internship, working-student job or project, plan a semester abroad, maintain first contacts |
| End of studies | Prepare your entry | Choose a thesis with a practical link, update your documents, write applications |
How do you find a career goal?
Having a clear career goal at the start of your studies is the exception. It helps to break the question down into smaller parts.
- Strengths: What comes easily to you, and what feedback do you get? Ask fellow students and lecturers how they experience you.
- Interests: Which courses, topics or projects keep you busy beyond the requirements?
- Values: What matters to you at work, for example security, meaning, room for creativity or time for private life?
- Working environment: Do you prefer working in a team or alone, in a large corporation or a small company?
Write down your answers and read them again after a semester. Patterns usually point to two or three directions that you can test in internships and conversations.
Which practical experience helps you most?
Internship
An internship shows you what a field of work looks like day to day and brings contacts. Some degree programmes require a compulsory internship, and voluntary internships can be planned in addition, most easily during the lecture-free period. On pay: in a compulsory internship there is no statutory minimum wage, while for a voluntary internship it applies as soon as it lasts longer than three months. The details are in the guide internships during your studies (in German).
Working-student job
A working-student job combines earnings with professional experience in your own subject area. You stay with one company for a longer period, take on responsibility and learn how processes work. For your career this is often more valuable than a short placement, because it can lead to recommendations and an entry into the company. At up to 20 hours per week during the lecture period, you remain exempt from health, long-term care and unemployment insurance, while pension insurance remains compulsory. Clarify the details before you accept.
Part-time job and volunteering
A job outside your field also counts. In service, retail or private tutoring you learn reliability, customer orientation and organisation. Volunteering and student initiatives show initiative and let you lead projects, often earlier than a job does. What counts on your CV is what you specifically did and achieved there.
Is a semester abroad worth it for your career?
A semester abroad strengthens language skills, independence and intercultural experience, which many employers value. It does, however, need lead time for applications, recognition of credits and financing. If you want to plan a semester abroad (in German), start early and ask your university about partner programmes.
Which skills belong on your CV?
Alongside subject knowledge, soft skills such as communication, teamwork, problem solving and resilience count. You develop them in group work, presentations, projects and part-time jobs. Digital skills also matter, for example office applications, data analysis or subject-specific software, as well as languages. Which of these are in demand depends on the field. Job advertisements from your target industry will tell you. A guide on how to build soft skills deliberately is available in developing soft skills during your studies (in German).
How do you build a network?
Contacts arise along the way during your studies when you show up: in student groups, at lectures, at careers fairs and in the alumni network. Online, a well-maintained profile supports you. The guide networking during your studies (in German) describes how to hold conversations and keep contacts, and there is a separate guide to a LinkedIn profile for students (in German).
Master’s degree or direct entry into work?
This decision is usually made towards the end of the bachelor’s degree. It depends on your subject, your career goal and your situation. In some fields a master’s degree is the norm, in others practical experience counts for more. Conversations with people in your target industry help you assess this. The trade-off between a master’s degree or entering work (in German) is explained in the related guide.
How do you use your thesis for your entry into work?
Choose a topic that interests you and relates to your target industry. If the thesis is written in cooperation with a company, you get to know its processes and people, and the company gets to know you. Whether this leads to an offer cannot be promised, but it improves your starting position. Ask your supervisor early whether such a cooperation is possible at your university.
What belongs in preparing your application?
Start a few months before you graduate. Update your CV, collect certificates and proof, and prepare examples that back up your strengths. The framework for the cover letter (in German) comes together faster if you clarify your motivation beforehand. Show in it why you chose this position and this company.
Also practise a job interview (in German) with friends or through your university’s careers service. For entry-level positions at larger companies, assessment centres sometimes follow, with individual and group exercises, presentations or role plays. With practice you come across as calmer and can explain your experience better.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start planning my career during my studies?
You can begin in the first semester, but you do not have to decide anything. At the start the focus is on orientation: exploring interests, getting to know student groups, looking at first fields of work. It becomes more concrete with an internship and a working-student job in the middle phase, and with application preparation towards the end.
How do I find my career goal?
Collect clues from your strengths, interests and values, try out fields of work in internships and part-time jobs, and talk to people from practice. A career goal usually emerges from several experiences. It may shift during your studies without the planning having been wasted.
How does a working-student job help my career?
Over months you gain professional experience in your field, learn processes and get to know colleagues, and you can name concrete tasks on your CV. Sometimes the job leads directly to an entry into the same company. There is no guarantee of this.
Is an internship or a part-time job better?
Both have value. An internship in your preferred field gives you insight and contacts in the industry. A part-time job finances your studies and trains reliability and communication. If time allows, combine both; otherwise let your goal and your budget decide.
What you should do now
- Write down what you are good at, what interests you and what matters to you at work.
- Look for an internship or working-student job that fits one of these directions.
- Join a student group and attend a careers fair.
- Create a CV and keep it up to date after every semester.
- Plan the stage after your bachelor’s degree: master’s degree, work or a semester abroad.
Related articles
- Further education after graduation: options at a glance (in German)
- Starting salaries after graduation compared (in German)
- PKV for working students: what applies? (in German)
- Student CV: how to build it step by step (in German)
Last updated: October 2026. This article provides general information and does not replace individual advice. The German version is authoritative.
