Key takeaways:
- Sahand Azizi went from a decade in foreign trade and supply chain to completing a Data Science internship in Germany, with zero prior tech background
- During his two-month placement at FMCG company share, he improved their sales forecasting accuracy from 55% to 79%
- His story shows how a structured programme with a guaranteed internship, and the right career support, can turn a career change into a concrete result
Sahand Azizi did not take the traditional route into Data Science. He spent ten years in foreign trade and supply chain management, with his last role as an executive assistant at Unilever in Iran. When he relocated to Germany, he made a decision that would change his career entirely: he enrolled in the Data Science & AI Programme at WBS CODING SCHOOL.
One year later, he had completed a real Data Science internship in Germany, delivered a measurable result for a real business, and was well on his way into his new career.
In this article, you will read exactly how he got there — how he landed his internship, what the experience taught him about real-world data, and why his supply chain background turned out to be an unexpected advantage. His full story is also featured on Course Report: read the complete interview here.
Table of Contents
From Unilever to Data Science: Sahand’s career change
Sahand had always been analytically minded. In his supply chain roles, he had been quietly pushing the limits of what Excel could do: automating tasks, forecasting manually, looking for patterns in data. But without the technical skills to go further, he had hit a ceiling.
Relocating to Germany was the turning point. With a fresh start and the time to invest in something new, he chose a structured, year-long programme that would take him from Excel power user to trained data scientist — with a guaranteed internship built in.
“I wanted something that would actually get me a job,” he said. “Not just a certificate.”
How Sahand landed his Data Science internship in Germany
Sahand did not have to navigate the job market alone. Paola from WBS CODING SCHOOL’s Career Services team identified a relevant opening and put it in front of him. He handled the interview process himself and got the placement.
The company was share, an FMCG business. For Sahand, the industry felt familiar. He had spent years understanding how supply chains and consumer goods companies work, how they generate data, how they use it, and where the gaps are. That context gave him a head start on day one.
“I already understood the business logic,” he said. “I just needed to apply the Data Science on top of it.”
What a Data Science internship in Germany really looks like
The first thing Sahand noticed when he started at share was how different real company data is from anything he had worked with during the programme.
Course data is structured and prepared for learning. Company data comes from ERP systems, disconnected spreadsheets, and operational processes that were never designed with analysis in mind. It is inconsistent, often incomplete, and rarely documented in a way that makes it easy to interpret.
His biggest realisation: data cleaning is not the boring part you rush through to get to the modelling. It can be 50% of the actual job. Understanding that in a course is one thing. Living it during an internship is something else entirely.
“Real data is nothing like course data,” he said. “That was the most valuable thing the internship taught me.”
The result: from 55% to 79% forecasting accuracy in eight weeks
Share’s brief for Sahand was ambitious: build a statistical sales forecasting model using time series analysis that could replace the manual, judgment-based forecasting the team had been doing.
It was exactly the kind of problem Sahand had encountered in his previous career, only now he had the tools to solve it properly. He had built manual forecasts before, with Excel formulas and historical averages. This time, he applied machine learning techniques he had learned during the programme.
In seven to eight weeks, he improved share’s forecasting accuracy from 55% to 79%. That is a 24-percentage-point gain on a real business metric, with real consequences for the team’s planning and operations.
“What used to take a team a lot of time and judgment calls, I could do faster and more consistently,” he said. “That was the moment it all clicked.”
Why his supply chain background made him a better data scientist
One of the most common anxieties among career changers is that their previous experience is irrelevant in tech. Sahand’s internship proved the opposite.
His decade in supply chain and FMCG meant he understood what the business actually needed from the forecasting model, not just how to build one. He knew which variables mattered, which assumptions were realistic, and how to communicate findings to colleagues who were not data scientists.
That kind of domain understanding is hard to teach in a classroom. It comes from years of working inside a specific industry. Companies are increasingly aware of this, and a data professional who combines technical skills with genuine business context is a rare and valuable hire.
“My background was not a detour,” Sahand said. “It was part of what made me good at the job.”
What does a Data Science internship in Germany look like? (FAQ)
Who arranges the internship? At WBS CODING SCHOOL, the Career Services team actively supports students in finding and securing placements in internships. You handle the application and interview yourself, but you are not searching alone.
When does the internship happen? In the one-year programme, the internship takes place toward the end of your training, after you have built your core skills, completed portfolio projects, and earned your professional certifications.
Is the internship paid? It depends on the company if the internship is paid. Some placements are paid, others are not. Career Services can give you a realistic picture of what to expect from specific opportunities.
What kind of companies offer Data Science internships in Germany? The range of offers for internships is wide. FMCG, finance, logistics, healthcare, retail, and tech companies all take data interns. Having prior industry experience often makes certain sectors a particularly strong fit.
Is a Data Science internship possible without a tech degree?
Yes, and Sahand is living proof, that a Data Science internship is possible without a tech degree. He briefly studied civil engineering, then spent his entire career in foreign trade and supply chain. He had no formal tech background when he enrolled at WBS CODING SCHOOL.
What companies want to see is that you can do the work: clean and analyse data, build models, interpret results, and communicate findings clearly. A strong portfolio, relevant certifications, and demonstrable ability carry more weight than a Computer Science degree for most internship and entry-level roles.
How to fund your Data Science training in Germany
If you are currently unemployed or at risk of unemployment in Germany, you may be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein — an education voucher from the Federal Employment Agency that can cover up to 100% of your training costs.
WBS CODING SCHOOL is an approved provider. If you qualify, the full one-year Data Science & AI Programme — including the guaranteed internship — may cost you nothing out of pocket.
Related blogs
- Career change to data science: a practical guide
- What a data science student will be doing in their first job
- Read this before taking a data science course
- Best online Data Science courses in Germany
Sahand went from supply chain management to delivering a 24-percentage-point improvement in a real company’s forecasting model in under a year. His story is not unique to him. It is what happens when someone with real industry experience gets the right technical training, the right career support, and a guaranteed internship to put it all into practice. If you are considering a similar move, the Data Science & AI Programme at WBS CODING SCHOOL is where to start.
