Starting Over Was the Decision That Changed Everything

There is a lot of pressure to keep moving forward.

Finish your bachelor’s.

Do your master’s.

Get a job.

Climb.

But what happens when the path you’re on isn’t actually taking you where you want to go?

That was one of the biggest things I took away from my conversation with Bola.

She already had a university degree from Nigeria and had worked in banking for three years before moving to Germany.

Then she did something many people would struggle to consider.

She started another bachelor’s degree.

Starting Again Doesn’t Mean You Failed

Bola had studied estate management in Nigeria, but it wasn’t the course she originally wanted.

Her interests had always been in economics, accounting and finance.

So when she arrived in Germany, she had a choice: continue into a master’s simply because it felt like the natural next step or go back and study something she actually wanted.

She chose to start again.

“The right time to start over is now.”

It meant more years in university.

It meant sitting in classrooms with younger students.

It meant occasionally wondering whether she was behind.

But looking back today, Bola describes that second bachelor’s degree as the decision that changed everything for her.

Sometimes starting again isn’t going backwards.

It’s correcting your direction.

Your Degree Is Only Part of the Work

Another part of our conversation I think international students need to hear was about gaining experience while studying.

Bola took internships, working-student positions and university roles while building towards the career she wanted.

Because eventually, you encounter that frustrating sentence:

“You need experience.”

But how do you get experience when nobody gives you the opportunity to gain it?

You start while you’re still studying.

Internships and working-student roles don’t only add another line to your CV. They teach you how companies actually work—something a classroom cannot completely prepare you for.

Learn German While You Have the Time

If Bola could change one thing about her student years in Germany, this would be it.

“I wish I took a semester off to actually learn the language.”

And interestingly, she now works in an international environment where German isn’t necessarily required for everything.

But you don’t only need German for work.

You live in Germany.

There are appointments, letters, paperwork and everyday situations that still happen in German.

Her point was simple: when you’re a student, you often have something you may not have later.

Time.

Once full-time work begins, squeezing an intensive German course into your life becomes a completely different challenge.

Rejection Is Part of the Process

At one point during her job search, Bola remembers sending around 10 to 15 applications in a day.

And then came the leider… emails.

Again.

And again.

Until eventually, one application led to the graduate programme that helped launch her corporate career.

Her advice to other international students?

“Rejections do not define you.”

Sometimes we interpret a rejection as evidence that we’re not qualified, not good enough or simply not meant for the opportunity.

But sometimes it is just one no.

You keep applying until you find your yes.

You Have to Put Yourself Out There

I asked Bola how people can ask for opportunities without sounding desperate.

Her answer made me laugh because it was so simple:

“You just ask.”

Network.

Tell people what you’re looking for.

Ask what opportunities are available.

Apply even when you’re unsure.

Being qualified is important, but people also need to know you exist.

And perhaps that’s one of the bigger lessons from Bola’s journey.

You don’t have to have everything figured out.

But you do have to keep moving towards what you want.

Afrodites Space exists to document the lived experiences of Black women building careers, businesses and lives across Germany and Europe.

Bola’s story is a reminder that our journeys don’t always have to follow the expected order. Sometimes the decision that looks like starting over becomes the decision that changes everything.

If you’re currently studying in Germany, navigating job applications or wondering whether it’s too late to change direction, watch the full conversation with Bola on Afrodites Space. Her story might give you a different way of looking at where you are right now.