When I started at Documaster in the summer of 2017, this was already my third internship experience. I felt confident and relaxed working at an office from 9 to 6. I thought that this experience wouldn’t differ significantly from what I have already been through. To my amazement, I was quickly proven wrong on multiple occasions.
What caught my eye first and foremost, was the team spirit in the company. My colleagues collaborated in a way I have never had the luck to witness before. It was no coincidence that on the fourth lunch into the internship, Martin made the remark that he rather feels like being part of a family dinner, where people exchange silly remarks, they comment on their daily peculiar findings, and they are also open to hear and offer sympathy to those who need it the most. Now that I recollect all these memories I also have the chance to note on the unbelievable consistency and resilience of that friendly atmosphere. There wasn’t simply any point during the summer for which I could say that my surrounding environment felt unwelcoming, discoursing or hostile. I can only dream of having similar levels of easy-going communication at the other communities I’m part of.
Once I got used to the general feel of place and mood, I started adapting to the project me and Martin were tasked with. Its complexity in depth and width were quick to get me excited and involved. Add to it the fact that I’ve never worked with most of the technologies included and the whole of my initial condescending perception was blown into pieces. The project turned out to be tough even with the great amount of friendly support available. As cliched as it may sound, this helped me grow professionally and personally. I am even left with the impression that there were many more opportunities at hand, which I couldn’t take on, unfortunately. The more time passed, the clearer picture me and Martin had about what we are building. The spark of the inventor engineer was lit in both of us, we wanted to add, polish, and tweak every little imperfect detail we saw. Sadly, the university was knocking on our doors already, we had to wrap our heads around everything we accomplished and present that in front of all our colleagues.
Tracking back from where I started, I can see that I embarked on an unforgettable journey during that summer. The time spent at Documaster taught me a lot in technological and practical terms, however, the fundamental lesson I prefer to keep and cherish the most doesn’t have to do anything with code and its applications. The culture at the company proved to me the incredible amount of strength lying in a united and carrying community.