There are several things I’ve learned during my work experience in Belfast
at the Agnew Group LTD. Working for Agnew was my first time working in the IT department of a private company. Therefore it was new to me to work with deadlines. In the public sector in Berlin you also have deadlines but they aren’t as limited as in a private company.
A very interesting thing was, that at the end of each day we’ve received a mail with an overview of the amount tickets the team has done. This way I’ve been able to review everything I had accomplished each day.
Thanks to my department manager I’ve also learned many networking security aspects which I must keep in mind for my future work. It was my first time to install a network for a site which was still in reconstruction while handling an already operating network. You always had to make sure that the network is operating all the time without shutting down.
I’ve learned tricks for changing the network while it was still operating. Completing projects during deadlines gave me a feeling of having achieved something and was very satisfying. To see the reaction of the customers to final outcome was also always an enrichment.
During my stay there were many things which didn’t operate that well and which gave me the opportunity to increase my troubleshooting skills.
The dress code at the company was smart casual and I had many occasions to study how to perform more serious at professional communications which will come in handy for my future career as well.
I’ve also received some constructive criticism from my department manager which helped me to improve my skills. The mistakes I’ve made helped me grow because they gave me a chance to learn from them. Agnew IT gave me a new point of view: no matter what you’re doing always work hard to get maximum performance. This opened my eyes for my future path.
I’ve improved my self-reliance because I had to fulfill my tasks on my own while knowing
that I could always ask my department manager for help. This will help me a lot in my future working life.
Some of the skills I’ve gained were some Microsoft Visio skills (to design network
topologies) and PowerShell scripting skills (to automate things).
From my department manager I’ve also learned how to create structured notes so that I won’t miss a thing.
I feel more comfortable now wearing smart casual clothes all the time which really improved my self-consciousness. It also improved my ability to be more self-reflective.
I’ve got a better insight into the tasks of different IT jobs and therefore a better overview considering the different professions and the path I want to follow.
On the other hand I’ve also achieved a bit of personal improvement.My English improved and I’m not as scared of speaking English as before. The people at Agnew
really showed me is very important to have a supportive family during tough times. Because they will watch your back till the end.
One thing I used to ignore all the time in Berlin was nature. But now I’ve got to know it’s benefits and how much a nice and long walk can help to clear your mind. It is very important to recover from the stress of the job. The work experience showed me that it is very important to have a place to which you can retreat and where you can relax.
For the first time in my life I really had to live with random people in a shared accommodation. I must say that I am not a fan of it and wouldn’t choose to live in a shared accommodation back in Berlin. It was very fully and to hectic/ chaotic for my taste. Also I never had the feeling to have a place to retreat. In my first house was to much
mould (even in my sleeping room) to be comfortable and many things were broken. Even essentials like the heater and the fridge. I’ve really missed good cooking utensils.
At the same time I had to share my room with someone else to whom I’m not related to. I think that is the reason I never felt like home.
But because of all this I’m now really sure about what I want for my future (personal and professional) and will help me to make incoming future decisions.
I am very happy for this work experience and thankful for Erasmus+ (which gave me the chance to do this experience) as well as my school (which helped me with my documents) and agnews group ltd (which took me in as a student for a work placement).
