Blerina Troni, born in 1997
After leaving school, you go to university. Or not? In 2017, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do next and had many interests and options. On the one hand, I really wanted to go to university, but on the other, I wanted to complete an apprenticeship so that I had something to start with. After a lot of back and forth, I applied to the city of Offenbach for an apprenticeship in the intermediate civil service. It worked out and I started my training in 2019. It went really well: I felt well received by my colleagues and the support from the trainers made it easier to start my career, the varied work in different offices was fun and the theory was also surprisingly interesting. After two years, I had my training in the bag and was finally able to work, because that's what I really wanted. I started at the housing, insurance and registry office as a clerk in the insurance department. I dealt with pension matters there. I enjoyed the work and quickly took on responsibility.
Not much time passed and I discovered the advertisement for promotion to the higher civil service, i.e. the dual study program in Public Administration. Was this the right time to study after all? I had actually wanted to from the start, but was now struggling with my decision - because I had just settled into my job and was able to work independently. The familiar back and forth started again: I asked family, friends and colleagues what I should do. The answer was always the same: "Take the chance!". But I was still unsure, it felt like I was letting my department down. I also didn't know if I was up to studying. I was already so used to working that I couldn't imagine going back to school. The application deadline was approaching and I slowly had to make up my mind. Of course, everyone thought it was a great idea, but when my colleagues and managers, who had just trained me, told me that they understood and supported me in my decision, it was clear: I would apply - and was accepted! A new chapter with the same employer began.
I had imagined that the next three years would last forever and that it would be very difficult to learn again. Today I'm already in the last semester of my studies and I don't know where the time has gone.
Do I regret my decision? No, not at all - but I am very sure that I would not have done so if I had not received such support. In addition to my family and friends, my former colleagues at the insurance office also supported me and made me feel like I was letting someone down. In September 2020, I started studying at the Hessian University of Applied Sciences for Public Management and Safety. My everyday life changed completely again. I had to get used to the fact that I didn't come home and finish work, but had to study and prepare homework.
Andrea Kutzner-Behr, born in 1961
My goodness... if you ever get to be my age, you too will experience that, in retrospect, professional time has passed incredibly quickly.
I started working for the city of Offenbach am Main about 30 years ago. I only realized over time how lucky I was with my choice. I wanted a varied job that offered opportunities for change and a good work-life balance. This calculation worked out completely!
I had no plans for my professional career, I was just happy to have an interesting job and a reliable salary in my bank account every month - I found that a real luxury after studying for a few years under rather precarious conditions and always having to provide funding and work on the side.
In my working life so far, the working conditions have gradually but significantly changed. On the one hand, there used to be a "typing pool", where you dictated your letters, handed the tape in and received the letter back to send out after various periods of time. Since computers were gradually introduced in the mid-1990s, people have of course been writing their own letters, which has sped up the process. The pace has increased due to e-mail traffic and it is now commonplace to write many e-mails back and forth on a daily basis.
In addition to technology, managers have also changed over the past three decades. While mountains of files used to pile up at the office management for signature, a lot has been delegated over the years and many things are decided and signed by the administrative staff themselves. As an employee, you became more and more involved in decision-making processes and could and can participate in a wide range of projects. Over time, I learned how much leeway I can use for solution-oriented work and that I can and am allowed to gradually take on more and more responsibility. These opportunities, this freedom, mean much more creative freedom for me and therefore more fun at work. A great development!
Now I'm looking back, but I'm far from finished. I have just ventured a step further and taken on the position of Deputy Head of the Personnel Support Department in the Human Resources Office. The so-called operational business suits me, so for a long time I wanted nothing else. But now I realize that the combination of operational work and management gives me a lot of pleasure and a real motivation boost for the last few years. The training course for managers has just started. This event will be with me for a year (around 16 days in total), the topics - such as "digital leadership" - sound very interesting and there will also be personal discussions with the trainers. I think it's great that the city of Offenbach is investing in managers in this way and I'm really looking forward to it!
