It’s autumn. leaves are falling, university starts again in presence after two years of uncertainty, and after months of search I finally acquired an Internship at the company Arlon Graphics EMEA. After having lived two years in Amsterdam, I suddenly moved to Den Haag, because they require my daily presence at the office. Good…I thought… I will have the possibility to get the full working experience. My first day at the office was a rollercoaster of emotions, but one thing was extremely clear from the beginning, I will be part of a small and young team that needs a new brain and a pair of hands from day one. No one asked me to grab coffees, no one asked me to print a pile of useless documents…I was there to work hard, and my supervisor didn’t waste any time making it present.
As a 21-year-old student fronting his first working experience, that was a big relief. I was striving for an opportunity to prove myself in a working environment, and that opportunity was there, ready to be taken. My first two months were very hard and chaotic, I needed to get used to a lot of internal dynamics, but fortunately, my Internship host was always there for me when I needed her. Throughout the first meetings, everyone tried to get me on board with the updates, and I quickly understood that there were two important product launches that I was going to be an integral part of. A mix of excitement and fear ran through me during my first weeks. I felt alive. I felt productive. I felt part of something.
The first four months pass by. Everything I have to do is clear in my mind and I have already gotten used to my tasks routine. After the Christmas break, I flew back to Den Haag and I am one of the first ones to attend the office; then, the unexpected happens. My internship host (the person who supported me the most and who explained everything to me) goes on sick leave. At first, was supposed to be a couple of weeks of absence, but slowly weeks turn into months, and no one knew when she would be able to come back to work. The surgery was tougher than expected.
In life, you have to get ready for the unexpected, and that is exactly what I did. The absence of my supervisor meant that our small team of four members turned into a team of three, and the workload increased exponentially. I started to report to the marketing manager, who turn out to be extremely understanding and willing to mentor me for the time being. The last three months were very intensive, we had a product launch scheduled for the first week of March and a lot of deadlines to respect. All the task routines that I learned during my first four months didn’t matter anymore, I had to take on some of my supervisor’s tasks, and that was exciting. Together with my team, we managed to complete everything in time and I got some personal compliments and gratifications for the work I have done.
The satisfaction I felt once I finished these intense last three months was huge. I was fronted with a problem and I tackled it with determination and teamwork. That’s how I would describe my experience at Arlon, indeed a great first work experience, but especially a real-life lesson that will accompany me for my whole life.