Dr. Jürgen Zieher
Current job:
Coordinator in the economic affairs and equal opportunity unit of the ministry of economic affairs, labor, and housing Baden-Württemberg (Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Arbeit und Wohnungsbau)
Studies in Mannheim:
Medieval History and Modern History/
Highest degree:
Magister/
Career
In 1997, I completed a Magister degree at the University of Mannheim and continued with a doctorate in History at TU Berlin, which I completed in 2002. Afterwards, I was a trainee and later a coordinator at Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. Between 2007 and 2010, I was an editor for the publisher Verlag Regionalkultur and a job adviser at the Federal Employment Agency for one year. For the consecutive five years, I was an academic staff member at the University of Applied Labour Studies (HdBA). After that, I worked as a personal contact person at a job center for a year and then as an educational assistant at an educational institution. Since 2018, I have been a coordinator at the ministry of economic affairs, labor, and housing Baden-Württemberg.
Tips for starting your career
If you would like to work for a federal or state ministry, you should choose an appropriate degree program, for example, Law, Political Science, Administrative Science, or Business Administration. Gaining professional experience in areas apart from administration makes it easier to become familiar with the technical tasks in a ministry. A job as a coordinator in politics requires certain social skills as well. That includes the ability to work in a team, quick-wittedness, good oral and writing skills, resilience, flexibility, and a structured way of working.
Relevance of the studied program
During my studies I acquired field-specific and transferable skills that are useful in my daily professional practice. Throughout the program at the University of Mannheim I received a solid scientific education, which allowed me to successfully pursue a doctorate. As a student in Mannheim I received a DAAD scholarship for studying at the renowned Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, USA. I still benefit from the time I spent abroad today because I was able to considerably improve my English, among other things.
Last updated: February 2023
Credit: Katrin Glückler