To be honest, this was a long process for me. For a long time, I did not know exactly what I wanted, but I always knew what I did not want. I consistently avoided fields that would limit my professional skills only to Turkish law. My dream was always to pursue an international career and to study in programs that could take me beyond national boundaries. Even when I could not decide on a specific field, I at least knew the general direction I wanted to follow.
Before making my decision, I first thought about the kind of life I wanted. I imagined where I wanted to be in two, five, and ten years. I tried to consider everything happening in the world and everything that could happen in the future: technological developments, AI tools, changing company policies, and the transformation of white-collar professions.
Within all these rapidly changing systems, I wanted to choose a field that could remain valuable regardless of technological disruption and would not easily become obsolete. For me, that field was finance. Finance is one of the few areas that continues to stay relevant under almost every circumstance. Within Financial Law, it is possible to specialize in many different areas such as compliance, fintech, risk analysis, and more. I will discuss these fields in more detail in future articles.
The life I wanted was based on having a level of financial stability that would allow me to live comfortably and peacefully. Rather than dreaming of becoming extremely wealthy, I simply wanted an income-expense balance that would provide me with a sense of well-being and security. Achieving this as a lawyer in Istanbul felt very difficult because of low salaries, long commutes, and the reality that unless you have enough financial resources to establish your own office, you often become dependent on working under another lawyer for years. Along with many other reasons, this is what led me toward finance.
Afterward, I started researching LL.M. programs across Europe. Among master’s programs related to Financial Law, the ILF Institute at Goethe University Frankfurt consistently stood out. Only around 50 students are accepted into the program each year, and honestly, while applying, I did not think I would be accepted because my university GPA was not particularly high. However, unexpectedly, I received an offer of admission. You can observe ILF’s LL.M. Finance description page here.
There are many reasons why I chose the Financial Law program at ILF:
- Frankfurt being one of Europe’s most important financial centers,
- The opportunity to complete a one-month internship at highly respected companies during the master’s program,
- Germany having the strongest economy in Europe,
- ILF’s international reputation and prestige,
- Being awarded the maximum scholarship amount offered by the program.
I believe Germany is a strong place to build a long-term career. As I continue this journey, I will also share both the advantages and disadvantages of this experience through the articles I write here.