How do you get from being a master’s student of Development Studies to becoming a Cloud Infrastructure Environmental Sustainability Specialist at SAP? What are the day-to-day-tasks of this role and which skills are essential? These and many other questions were answered by Phichayanin (Yves) Raksuwachon during a virtual career talk on May 20, 2026 at the University of Passau as part of the “Berufe im Profil”-series organized by ZKK (Future: Career and Competences) in cooperation with the FIM International Coordinator Luise Haack.
In her role as Cloud Infrastructure Environment Sustainability Specialist, Yves Raksuwachon is responsible for developing strategies for reuse and recycling, managing sustainability reporting and collaborating with vendors to reduce carbon impact. While writing her master’s thesis, she completed an internship at SAP. During the talk, Yves Raksuwachon explained how this step was the key to getting her current position at SAP and emphasized the importance of internships and other practical experiences during one’s study in order to become an insider, build a network and gain practical experience.
A diverse group of participants joined the event, ranging from bachelor’s and master’s students of different academic backgrounds like Development Studies, Governance and Public Policy, Computer Science/Ai Engineering and Business Administration to alumni of the University of Passau. Yves Raksuwachon shared insight into the skills required for her position and explained how her studies in Development Studies helped her develop system thinking, structured analyzing and interdisciplinary problem-solving. Other practical tips, do’s and don’ts, challenges or “a typical workday” gave a comprehensive insight and allowed the participants to understand what is needed for a position as a Cloud Infrastructure Environment Sustainability Specialist. Especially skills like clear communication, defining goals, and balancing perfectionism were emphasized for when starting a junior position.
At the end of the presentation, participants had the opportunity to ask questions during a Q&A session. Topics included technical skills, the importance of internship, application processes and how to plan one’s master to achieve their goals, were discussed and allowed further insight from Yves Raksuwachon’s personal and professional experience.
Thank you, Yves, for sharing your story and inspiring us to look for opportunities outside our field of studies!
