Following the example of my mother and both grandmothers, I was convinced from a very young age that I would one day become a teacher. After my bachelor’s studies, I planned to start my master’s studies in one of the curricula of teacher training at the University of Tartu. Friends who were working as teachers urged me to try out the teaching profession to see if that was my only calling. I took the good advice and after half a year as a teacher, I understood why such advice was given. Through several twists and turns in my life, I decided to start a master’s degree in IT instead.
The more I immersed myself in this world, the more the dream of an internship in a particularly fierce IT company began to grow in my head. A full-time job in a company like this seemed like an extremely impossible dream. “Be careful with your dreams, they tend to come true!” I was able to work as a teacher for two years until I had the opportunity to do an internship at STACC. The company caught my eye during the Delta Career Day in the spring, and from there on the desire to do my internship at STACC started evolving. Initially, I postponed contacting the company due to inner hesitations. After actively searching for an internship and receiving many refusals, it just seemed completely hopeless at the time. Since I had actively participated in the STARTERtartu program as a student, I decided to take advantage of the acquaintances I gained from it, through which I finally found my way to STACC. Everything went much better than I could ever have imagined, and after the internship, I became a project manager and analyst in STACC.
Myths about working in an IT company vs. reality:
- There are only nerdy boys who seriously lack communication skills – I had no idea how friendly, lovely, supportive and brilliant people work in an IT company.
- I was afraid that if there is a lack of knowledge in some places, the employment contract will be terminated rather easily – the truth is that my colleagues are always ready to help and explain things over and over again. You never have to be alone with worries.
The most important lessons from working at STACC:
- There are no stupid questions. Only he who does not ask is foolish!
- There is no need to be afraid of new challenges – otherwise, there will be no experience.
- When reflecting on both the client and colleagues, always reflect the ideas to avoid miscommunication.
- A good team is the basis of success!
No one would be able to count my smaller and more technical lessons. One thing is for sure – if you don’t try, you will never find out how it goes! And if it doesn’t go as planned, then you have somewhere to learn from.
One cold and foggy morning I felt very tired when going to work. I felt that I didn’t really want to do anything and would rather not go to work at all. The closer Delta’s gold-striped Centre for Entrepreneurship became, the smaller the feeling inside me shrank. When I opened STACC’s door, I smelled freshly baked cookies. Negative emotions were almost non-existent now. The last of them disappeared when I was talking to colleagues over a cup of coffee. I would never have thought that a workplace could be so cozy and lovely. Here I am talking about the office space itself, but not only. Above all, I mean the people with whom it is always nice and who never hesitate to help you. I think that in STACC’s team, we have this magical “something” that makes working in this place so delightful.
I am forever grateful that STACC gave me the opportunity to prove myself and learn beside these wonderful people! I warmly recommend everyone to apply and make their dreams come true in STACC!
