From Linguistics to Consulting
By: Diana Nazarov, Associate Consultant
“What have you studied?”
A question that becomes essential at some point, especially when it comes to finding internships or your first job. Everybody has their own unique curriculum and, very often, you study one specific subject but end up in a role or industry that you could not have pictured yourself in.
My Path to Veeva
After graduating from a bilingual high school, where my courses were taught in English and German, and where I selected German, French, and Italian as my core classes, I was happy to pursue my passion for languages.
I studied German, French, and Italian Linguistics in Germany, which also included Cultural Studies and Communications as well as a bit of Russian. The degree program consisted of translating any types of texts within my language combination, though I personally specialized in legal translation. This came in handy at my first full-time internship in Paris as a legal translator for a international insurance company.
During my time in college, I got the opportunity to work for SAP SE. I worked part-time on the product management team at their headquarters in Germany. At first, I was nervous to jump straight into a software company without any previous experience in the field or with technical topics. However, turned out I was not at all expected to become a developer — the focus of that position was advertising the product in the form of newsletters, official announcements, and social media posts. Language, quality assurance, and communication were essential for the role. That work experience proved to me that I can still use my own skills and expertise as well as creativity in a specialized company, which quickly eased my initial concerns.
Now, after finishing college, I embarked on the Consultant Development Program (CDP) at Veeva Systems — a job position that combines communication skills in the form of consulting with technical knowledge.
What Advantages Does My Degree Bring in this Job?
One positive aspect is that people who need a translation reach out to me, which has already happened several times. I have translated English educational videos into German and French and even helped some colleagues with Russian.
In addition, the fact that I majored in languages brings considerable benefits when communicating with French customer. I’ve been able to consult them in their own language, fostering a very close collaboration.
Even more so, I look forward to using my German skills with German customers at some point. As well as discovering how my skills will help the company in other ways!
Veeva Gathers All Kinds of Talents
People with a deviating academic background might be inclined to think that someone who has studied in a technical field will have a quicker and easier transition to understanding the software. However, you still feel confident as your manager(s) and colleagues understand that everybody learns at their own pace. In short, Veeva offers you the perfect balance of motivating you to grow efficiently, encouraging you to become confident, and allowing you to find peace with your personal pace of growth. In this company, you will find personalized ways and solutions that take you further and expand your technical knowledge.
It’s amazing to see how you can contribute in different ways and that your skills are needed and appreciated. This is most definitely one of the reasons why we have such an outstanding, dynamic, and interesting team. Our teams consist of individuals with different backgrounds, making us highly diverse which allows us to grow stronger, closer, and more successful. Everybody contributes to the team in her or his own way, with unique talents and characteristics.
