Catharina Bühring

By the age of 16, she had already earned her high school diploma; by 18, she had completed an apprenticeship and is now studying economics at Zeppelin University (ZU): Catharina Bühring. And beyond her studies, she’s involved in a variety of activities: with the social initiative “Rock your Life!,” on the organizing team for LakeMUN—the UN simulation at ZU for high school students from all over Germany—and, last but not least, on the women’s lacrosse team.

After high school, she decided to pursue an apprenticeship at a private bank. “It was a very exclusive business,” she explains. Unlike at a typical bank, the advice wasn’t sales-driven but rather needs-based. It went a step deeper: Imagine a management consulting firm for private clients, where the client’s entire life situation—and that of their family—was taken into account. “The investment should still be a good fit for the client in 10 or 20 years,” she explains. “It was really interesting to get a taste of this adult world as a 16-year-old.”

Since completing her apprenticeship, Catharina Bühring has realized that she doesn’t want to remain in the banking industry, as she quickly grew bored with money as a product. Although she still works part-time at Internationale Bankhaus Bodensee AG in her free time, she actually wants to build her own business. Her interest in starting a business has been with her since her apprenticeship. However, her first project—to open a bar in Friedrichshafen with two of her fellow students—failed due to a lack of capital. She is currently exploring new ideas that she plans to put into action after her semester abroad. The idea of starting a business remains very much on Catharina Bühring’s mind, as she sees “creating jobs” through entrepreneurship as an appealing and responsible task.