Master’s thesis as professional entry into SAP BI consulting

Kirsten Nachtmann reports in the interview about her hiring at valantic, which came about due to her Master’s thesis, and her entry as SAP BI consultant in Hamburg.

How was your start at valantic?

I remember my start very well. For the thesis to complete my Master’s studies, I was seeking a practical opportunity to work in the areas of data science or machine learning. I had hardly sent my application off to valantic when Alice from Hamburg called me that very same day. The speed of the whole process and the friendly atmosphere in all conversations suited me well. So I was very happy when I got permission from valantic to write my Master’s thesis about dynamic pricing in the SAP unit.
A special aspect here was that a Hamburg team member is also a professor, who worked with my advisor to help me with the content and structure of my thesis, as well as with regard to university questions.

I was also enthusiastic about the multifaceted onboarding event. You get to know everybody who’s starting in the same quarter and become familiar with the structure of the valantic family here. From trainee to sales to management, you get a first impression of the whole bandwidth at valantic – that’s really cool.

What do you do as SAP consultant focusing on business analytics?

After completing my Master’s thesis, I started in BI consulting for valantic’s SAP unit right away; that was in November of last year. I work primarily on the back end, that is, a lot in data warehousing. The nice thing: each day is different here.

For example, I’m currently working to upgrade a customer’s system. The challenge with SAP is that the system architecture is different at every company. This individual structure has to be mapped and ensured even after an upgrade. In the beginning, this means that it is difficult to get an overview, but in the long term it’s very interesting. Because we’re working not just on implementation, but also on design and dependent systems, there’s a lot to learn. That’s why I’m especially glad about the daily exchange with my mentor and his support; I have a platform for my questions, even when they extend beyond pure project management.

What do you especially like about valantic?

valantic offers a great mixture of professionalism and an informal atmosphere. Whether you have questions about a project or something in your private life – for example, if you need help moving in – there are always helping hands available. I also find the recognition that the value of your performance doesn’t depend on the number of overtime hours you’ve put in especially refreshing. Here, valantic has completely changed my opinion of consulting companies. The balance between work, family, and possibilities for further development simply won me over.

What will you do next?

In any case, SAP will be a big player on the market for the long term. The transfer to the cloud, especially with analytical tools such as the Analytics Cloud and Data Warehouse Cloud, is already happening now and will no doubt continue in the future. I think it’s exciting to be starting my career now and I look forward to experiencing this development in the future.