My internship as a working student in Paris
As I have finally returned home after a 6 months internship in France, I think this is a good time to reflect on my experiences at the new Seven Senders office in Paris.
Let me share with you this short story about a boy from Berlin exploring the beautiful city of Paris.
Who is this guy?
Great question! My name is Jan and when I don’t watch movies I study International Computer & Media Science at HTW Berlin (sometimes…).
I’ve also been working at Seven Senders since August 2018 so I think it’s fair to say I’m one of the cool kids now. I joined 7S as a working student in Product & Engineering mostly supporting the QA and Product team with various tasks but more than anything, learning from all the experienced and creative minds in the office.
Why did this guy leave?
As part of my university program all students in my major had to do a mandatory internship in a country other than Germany. Thinking about the endless possibilities I naturally consulted with my colleagues and was lucky enough to be offered a position at the new Seven Senders Paris office which just opened up in the beginning of 2019 under the supervision of our head of New Markets Thomas Garnesson. So I packed my stuff, got myself a tiny apartment (actually it was not that easy) in Paris and flew there to start my new adventure.
The office is located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris that’s right in the city center adjacent to the famous Champs Elysées. During my time there I got to meet many new and interesting personalities (as Thomas was hiring to build a new team) and also worked on some very interesting projects in collaboration with the QA and Product teams in Berlin.
How is Paris?
Let’s keep this short! Paris is beautiful. Actually just calling it beautiful is an understatement. Every street, every shop, every corner looks like it’s straight out of a movie. Being born and raised in Berlin I am naturally opposed to any other city in the world but I have to admit that the city of Paris stole my heart a little bit.
Whether it’s just walking by the Seine, exploring the nightlife of the République area, drinking some good wine in one of the countless bars and brasseries or just strolling through any of the amazing museums and exhibitions — Paris has something for almost everyone. If you can look beyond the harsh prices and the sometimes rough attitude that some Parisians have towards non-French people, Paris is definitely a must visit! Oh yeah, and most importantly: They have a Disneyland. Enough said!
Did he even learn anything?
Naturally, since this is a university internship it had to be somewhat educational. I was lucky enough to be fully integrated in my team at Seven Senders to a point where it felt like I was a full grown member of the team. Together with my awesome colleagues Haik and Surendra in Berlin I worked hard on automating testing processes in the team and also spent a significant amount of time on projects in other departments of the company like Customer Support or Product. Working in a full time job, experiencing the day to day business and actually being able to shape the outcome of projects in a meaningful way really helped me on my path as a student and now gives me the confidence to keep working and prepare myself for the projects to come.
What will he do now?
After coming back from Paris, I was offered the opportunity to come back to the Seven Senders Berlin office and join their Core Services team as a backend developer. Being with the company for over a year now, I am really glad to have the opportunity to keep developing and learning here. Paris was a hugely instructive experience for me. Getting to know a different culture and a new environment and having to adjust accordingly is something that everyone should experience first hand.
Learning to deal with change and sometimes personal hardships might be one of the most important skills one can learn in life. So follow your dreams, don’t let yourself down, dare to adventure and stay awesome!
A big thank you goes out to everyone at Seven Senders for the opportunity and all the support on my journey and to all my friends that came to visit me!
Jan
