From a trainee to a project coordinator

When I was browsing job advertisements on my educational institution’s website in November 2015, one advertisement caught my attention. Are was looking for a project coordinator trainee to work with the company until the end of August 2016. I hesitated for a moment: I still needed to complete a few courses and write my thesis before I could graduate as an electrical engineer, but the work at Are would start in December. If I happened to be selected, would I be able to commit to working for Are for more than six months? I eventually decided to apply and was invited to a job interview, much to my delight. Then, I learned that I had been selected.

I spent my first days at Are participating in induction training and familiarising myself with the workplace. However, I was soon offered an opportunity to assist with calculating contract offers. The task felt challenging at first: I had never done anything like it during my studies or in my previous jobs. However, I learned quite quickly by doing the work in practice and was soon allowed to compile offers independently. 

Graduating through Are

Spring was nearing, and so was my graduation. I needed to start preparing my engineering thesis. Working for Are had been a good experience, and I had learned a great deal. I was hoping to write my thesis for Are, and was delighted to be offered a topic related to the calculation of additional and alteration work. Through my experience in offer calculation, I was somewhat familiar with the calculation principles for additional and alteration work, and I already had ideas about how to make the process more efficient. In other words, I gladly accepted the topic.

With regard to preparing my thesis, everything ran smoothly. I was also preparing actual offers for additional and alteration work at the same time, which helped me to fine-tune my thesis. I completed my thesis at the end of the summer, and I must admit that I am very happy with the end result. I hope and believe that Are will benefit from my work as well. The company is already planning training programmes on calculation software for additional and alteration work for project employees.

A summer on the construction site

In late spring, I had my first opportunity to work outside the office. I was able to familiarise myself with a public-sector project and work at the construction site. Everything was new and exciting, and the construction site was incredibly large. 

I had an opportunity to both supervise work phases and carry out practical work. These varied opportunities were invaluable to me. I realised that I had learned new things rapidly, almost unnoticed, and was being trusted with more responsibility on the construction site. This trust in my knowledge and skills felt great.

From trainee to project coordinator

The end of August and of my training period came sooner than I expected. Working for Are has been rewarding, particularly the broad range of learning opportunities. I have been able to familiarise myself with varied tasks, and I am happy with the progress I have made. My training period was excellent, and its ending was even better: on the first day of September, my job title changed from project coordinator trainee to project coordinator, and my temporary employment contract became permanent. 

I will officially graduate in a few weeks, and the future seems bright. My lectures and exams are over for now, but working at Are means I will continue to learn for a long time.

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