From the college benches to the real world. How big a step is that really?

It is a Wednesday morning in May and I am on the train on my way to school. The train begins to slow down and around me people begin to sigh. Meanwhile, my phone rings. “It’s Nikkie,” I say cheerfully. With Mark from SQR.NL, I hear on the other end of the line. I have read your cover letter and we would like to invite you for an interview. Can you make it on Friday? Friday I have an exam shoots through my mind. I indicate that I can’t and eventually we agree to come by that same afternoon. At the next station I get off and take the train back home. That very afternoon I had my job interview and the very next day I was told that I had been hired. In total, this whole process took three days; on Tuesday I sent my cover letter, on Wednesday I was able to come for an interview, and on Thursday I was hired.

The wonders are not yet out of the world

This story sounds too good to be true. Especially since you often hear otherwise; there is no response, you get an automatically generated thank you email or you don’t get a response for a month. And yet I can tell you that this story is true. In fact, this story tells how I managed to secure my internship position at SQR.NL. The nicest hosting provider in the Netherlands, if the job posting was to be believed. Anyway, I was looking forward to it and looking forward to the start of my internship.

Hosting boring? How come!

Before I knew it, the first week, in which I had received a lot of information and met new people, was over. There was also a post on social media introducing me. The whole world now knew that I had started working as an online marketing intern (I am studying Digital marketing at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam) at SQR.NL and soon the responses poured in. I was also approached in my surroundings about my internship at SQR.NL. When I told them that SQR.NL is a hosting provider in Alkmaar, they often looked at me questioningly. For them, visiting a Web site was as natural as tying your shoelaces. I knew better by now. In fact, there is much more to it than you think, such as a domain name, web hosting and possibly an SSL certificate. I was also often asked if I don’t find this boring. Precisely not! Because of the “agile” way of working, no two days are the same and I am on a team with multiple disciplines which makes it extra instructive! Are you curious about the process? Then read this article by my colleague Kelly.

Finding the right rhythm

But honestly, I don’t find the transition from school to internship easy. You could compare it to the transition from summer to winter time. The dark days are getting used to and you may even be suffering from an “autumn dip. This is how the transition from school to internship feels to me. I found myself in a totally different environment and had to find my place within the “scrum team. I also had to learn to use different tools such as Jira, the Wiki and a “visual composer. Furthermore, I found that I find it difficult to concentrate throughout the day and it took me a while to get used to the new rhythm. Being a full-time intern is a bit different from going to school three or four days a week where the days are very short.

Time to take stock

As quickly as I secured my internship position at SQR.NL, time also goes by. In fact, I have already boarded the train from Obdam to Alkmaar 47 times, so I am almost halfway through my internship. So far, I have had the opportunity to learn a lot at SQR.NL; from participating in the ‘scrum team’ to writing a blog article about the ‘Gutenberg editor’. It may not have always been easy, but it was very educational. Of course, I also encountered myself and found that there is still much to learn. My biggest challenge for the next 10 weeks? Stepping out of my comfort zone! Do you have any tips? Let me know!

The original article can be read on LinkedIn.