Welcome to another instalment of Vaimo’s ‘Introducing’ series where we’ll be catching up with Erik and Triin who are based at Vaimo International in our Tallinn office. Read on to hear more about their time at Vaimo and their reflections on the internship.
Hello to you both! Perhaps we can rewind a little, to begin with… Can you tell us a bit about your journey to this internship and what inspired you to apply?
Erik – Before coming to Vaimo I had previously studied and had begun working in software engineering. I started looking at internships as a way of increasing my skill set and found out about Vaimo’s summer internship scheme. I’d just finished my portfolio which included designing websites on the front end, so this was the perfect position to apply for.
Triin – I’m currently in my second year studying Business IT—and about to go into my third year. I was looking for an internship that I could complete over the summer to complement my studies and then discovered the opportunity at Vaimo. I wanted to apply to learn about the various areas of development. And in the end, I’m glad I did!
How have you found the experience and in what ways has it helped your career development?
Erik – I must admit, to begin with, I was a little scared! Working in Internal IT, there were new systems and processes to get used to and I was entrusted with a lot of freedom (and rights). But in hindsight, it was nice that I was given this freedom and responsibility—this was really empowering. In general, the internship has skyrocketed my experience. I was initially afraid that I’d be taking on more menial tasks, but that’s not been the case as I’ve been able to work on the development of our internal IT systems. The breadth of experience I’ve gained from this has definitely benefited my future.
Triin – When I look back at my time here, my progress has been huge. Comparing my first week versus a few weeks later, my knowledge grew massively. Before the internship, my front end knowledge was in its early stages—so every day has added to my skills and knowledge. Working on Magento particularly has been a big challenge. But even in just one and a half months, I feel like I’ve achieved so much. It’s been a great learning curve.
What’s been your greatest achievement or favourite memory at Vaimo?
Erik – My favourite memory is more of a general impression of Vaimo. And that’s how open-minded Vaimo is in its working culture. Employees have the freedom and autonomy to work as they need to get the job done. I appreciate this level of trust that Vaimo places in its employees.
Triin – My biggest achievement is not necessarily one particular moment but my overall increased understanding of Magento. In the short time I’ve been here, my Magento knowledge has grown more than I could have imagined.
What have you enjoyed most about working at Vaimo?
Erik – One thing that’s struck me at Vaimo is the scale of the business. Yes, we have clients in Estonia (where I’m based), but we have clients all over the world too. And I like that Vaimo itself has such a diverse set of employees and different personalities. The team here in Tallinn (and the wider team) have been welcoming and willing to help with any questions. And in general it’s a great atmosphere here at the office—from weekly social meetups at the office, to the in-house library and the spacious office—I enjoy the surroundings.
Triin – For me, it has to be the level of teamwork at Vaimo (which happens to be one of the 4 core values too). In a previous company, I didn’t have a mentor programme in place. But at Vaimo, from day 1 everyone has been extremely supportive and helpful. No matter what the question or obstacle, there’s always someone that I can ask. I appreciate this kind of supportive and friendly working environment—especially when a number of the skills and processes have been new for me.
Why should other students apply to intern at Vaimo? How would it benefit them?
Erik – It’s an eye-opening experience and you get to see how things work in a large, international organisation. For me personally, I now have a new outlook and this will help inform my future studies and the way I look at software engineering. I’ve also had the opportunity to work with colleagues from all over the world and this is a huge benefit for those looking to intern at Vaimo.
Triin – As I already mentioned, the teamwork here is really good as well as communication, so it’s a great place for those looking at internships. What I’ve learned in my studies is one thing, but seeing how things work in a real-life business environment has been so different! It’s this change in perspective which has been the biggest benefit of interning at Vaimo.
That’s all for now from Tallinn and Vaimo Introducing. Stay tuned to hear more stories from new Vaimoers and to learn more about how we are driving success in digital commerce!
**Editor’s Note: Since this article was first published, we are very pleased to announce that Erik has now joined Vaimo on a permanent basis as an IT Support Specialist—welcome to the family, Erik! Triin had to return to her studies but we wish her all the very best and hope to see her in the future!**
