Career break for pregnancy - degree or certifications to avoid gap impact?
Hi everyone,
I am looking for some advice and would really appreciate your guidance.
I have around 6 years of experience in software testing (QA). I am currently based in Berlin, and I am planning for pregnancy soon. During my last pregnancy, I had severe nausea which made it very difficult to continue working, so this time I have decided to take a career break for about a year.
I am a bit worried about this gap, especially since I may look for jobs later in India, where career gaps are often questioned more strictly.
I am thinking of using this time to upskill, possibly in AI, DevOps or a related field, and I am considering enrolling in some kind of degree or certification (preferably flexible/online so I can study from home).
Are there any good, recognized distance/online programs in Germany (ideally in English) that are at low-cost that I can pursue and later mention as a formal degree/certification on my CV to both upskill and cover my career gap?
My goal is to make sure this break doesn't negatively impact my career and ideally helps me transition into a better role
Thanks a lot in advance for your suggestions!