When I began my dual study program in Business Information Systems with a focus on Data Science at Lufthansa Systems in 2022, I had no idea how much my perspective on programming would change.

Before starting the program, I had almost nothing to do with computer science. To me, Python was just a snake, not a programming language. Computers were simply tools to me, and I had no idea how to tell them what to do.

During the first few months of the program, I sometimes felt like someone who had suddenly been dropped into a foreign country without knowing even the most basic vocabulary. Loops, conditions, arrays? At first, it all sounded like technical jargon. But just like learning a new language in school, programming is something you learn step by step. First, you need to master the basics – the “vocabulary”, such as variables, data types, and commands. Then comes the grammar: how to write conditions or use loops. At some point, you start speaking your first “sentences” – small programs that may still be a little clumsy, but they work.

That moment when your first script actually does what you told it to do was a real sense of achievement for me. It felt like successfully placing your first order in a restaurant in a foreign language. And programming develops in much the same way. As your vocabulary and understanding grow, you eventually move on to writing short essays or, in computer science terms, your own functions or even entire applications.

If there is one thing I have learned, it is that you do not have to be a “natural talent” in computer science to succeed in this degree program. It is completely okay to start out knowing very little. What matters is staying curious, not giving up, and being willing to make mistakes. Everyone starts small. And even though Python used to be just a reptile to me, today it is a gateway to an exciting world full of possibilities.

In September of last year, I successfully completed my dual study program in Business Information Systems with a focus on Data Science.