I have started working at Allianz as a working student, supporting several different global rollouts in the Learning and Development field. As a student, the big world of Allianz seemed somewhat intimidating, however, I’ve had a bit of great luck working with a very empowering manager and team, that also gave me meaningful tasks which developed my skills further. When I graduated, I was lucky enough to be offered a full-time position – not in my team due to full capacity, but another one, where my manager recommended me. This showed how important it is to have a manager who is supporting you and acting also as a mentor and sponsor on your development path. As I was reaching the learning curve plateau in my first full-time position, I was lucky enough to be asked to move to a new position based on the network I have developed in my full-time position. Next to having a supportive manager, having a strong network is another key element in one’s career development. Taking opportunities to participate in different types of networks, events, and programs across Allianz is a great way to improve your own visibility and also grow through getting to know people from different functions and roles. This also helps you to understand what else is there beyond your own function bubble and develop a sense of where you wish to go further in your career development.