Why 42 Wolfsburg Graduates make good hires
At 42 Wolfsburg, we don’t just teach syntax; we cultivate a mindset. While traditional degrees focus on theory, our peer-to-peer model is designed to produce engineers who can solve real-world problems from day one.
The recent success of three of our students—Ahsan Abdul Salam, Santiago Tena Hernandez, and Emanuel Scura—is a perfect testament to this. After completing their internships at our partner company New Yorker, all three were officially hired as full-time Junior Software Developers.
What makes this story special is that there was no obligation to hire. They earned their spots by bringing a unique blend of technical agility and high-level soft skills to the table.
Evidence of Talent, Not Just Titles
Our partnership with New Yorker is built on mutual value and our shared roots in the region. The transition from student to employee happened because these three individuals proved their worth within a professional tech stack, moving beyond the “intern” label to become essential members of the engineering team.
Guido Birkenfeld, long term friend of 42 Wolfsburg and the colleague who mentored them at New Yorker, was impressed by their proactive approach to problem-solving:
“The three of them are very open and communicative. They bring excellent ideas of their own and actively incorporate them into their work. For example, they simplified and accelerated our testing process by developing an add-on for our web frontend. They also developed a tool that significantly simplifies test IDs for our scenarios.”
The 42 DNA: Soft Skills and Adaptability
In modern software development, technical skills are the baseline, but soft skills are the multiplier. Because 42 students learn in a collaborative environment without traditional teachers, they arrive at companies with a “hit the ground running” attitude.
Guido notes that their ability to integrate into the company culture was just as vital as their coding:
“All three are very bright and consistently positive. It’s a lot of fun to work with them. Since we often commuted together, I also had the pleasure of getting to know them personally through dinners and team events. They fit perfectly into the team.”
A Steep Learning Curve
One of the most valuable traits of a 42 student is the “learning how to learn” philosophy. In an industry where languages and frameworks change every few years, this adaptability is a superpower.
“The learning curve for all three has been enormous,” says Guido. “They learn very quickly—not only the technical contexts but also the programming languages, some of which were entirely new to them, mastering them at a remarkable pace.”
A Community Built on Merit
The success of Ahsan, Santiago, and Emanuel serves as a blueprint for our entire community. It reinforces the idea that at 42 Wolfsburg, progress is dictated by the output and the ability to collaborate. Not exam results and good marks alone.
When partners like New Yorker invest in our talent, they aren’t just looking for resumes—they are looking for the next generation of problem solvers who can communicate, iterate, and innovate.
We are incredibly proud of our new alumni at New Yorker and look forward to seeing the impact they will continue to have on the future of retail tech.
Interested in starting your own tech journey? Jetzt bewerben to join our community.
