From Tehran to Chemnitz

Name: Pejman Saadat

Age: 31

Job at SIGMA: I work at SIGMA Chemnitz in the IT Systems Engineering department.

Previously in: I am originally from Iran and have been living in Germany since 2005.

What were your main reasons for moving to the Chemnitz region in particular?

I originally come from Iran. I came to Germany in 2005 and ended up in the initial reception centre for asylum seekers in Chemnitz. Here I immediately started to realise my dream of working in the IT sector. After a German course, I completed an apprenticeship as an IT assistant. This was followed by a degree as an IT specialist.

Why did you decide on SIGMA Chemnitz?

Unfortunately, I can no longer tell you how many applications I wrote. The prejudices against foreigners are still very high in the companies. Even internships I only got through "connections". Finally, however, an employer in the Ore Mountains "dared" to hire me. At that time, SIGMA also published a job offer which interested me very much. So I applied and was invited for an interview. And now I've been at SIGMA Chemnitz since the end of 2013 and I really like it because my field of work is exactly what I always imagined.

Was it the right decision?

Because of my previous experience, I was quite reluctant at the beginning. However, my colleagues showed me that I belong to the team from now on and that they trust me. In the meantime, I feel very comfortable, I am fully involved in the work processes and I even have some sub-projects to supervise.

The interview was recorded in July 2014.