My name is Juliana von Wels, and I completed my internship at a Hamburg-based start-up company, Arboretum Solutions. In order to encourage climate action and engage in sustainability, Arboretum Solutions reforests damaged regions in Germany and provides businesses and organizations with the possibility to invest in those projects. The most thrilling but also difficult aspect of working for a start-up company was the tremendous amount of pressure and independence that went along with it. It gave me confidence in my skills and judgment, which was the most crucial lesson. However, it also taught me to work independently yet to communicate openly with co-workers and superiors.
I would highly recommend completing your internship at this company. Not only was I greeted with open arms and a great deal of trust, but the work atmosphere, no matter how stressful, always stayed friendly and comfortable for all employees. We are currently looking for interns, so feel free to apply!
During the internship, I conducted research for the company, which was given a great deal of freedom. How the firm was going to handle the certifications required for the voluntary market, in which we intended to operate in, was a major issue that we had to answer, particularly at the beginning of my internship and consequently the company. The subject was quite unclear, which made it difficult for the corporation to make decisions. This ultimately hurt the company’s efforts to establish a brand identity and, as a result, position in the market. Understanding the various certifications and their implications on the end-consumer led me to the decision to make this the primary focus of my research because doing so would significantly aid in the development and success of the company. The results, even if not statistically significant, supported my initial assumption, that the better known the certificate, the better the end-consumer’s general brand evaluation. While the research was already running, we found out that one of the research certificates was not approved for our projects in Germany. Initially, this seemed to be a problem, however, with the results of my research, we confirmed that that certificate did not have the best effect on the user anyway. Instead, another certificate, that is much more accessible and therefore feasible for us to use, turned out to be much more effective and thus, the better choice either way.
The results of my research are therefore directly incorporated into the service we offer our clients, as the certification process is part of this.
All in all, the most fulfilling part of this internship, apart from it being a great work experience, is the nature of the cause the company is working for. Personally, I find it hard to work for a company whose objective is not in line with my values. Thus, this internship offered me the ideal motive and, thus, fulfilment during day-to-day work.