One year internship:
a report by Gerhard Ott

Dear Reader, 

In this blog article, I will write about my experiences during my internship year so far. First a little about me: My name is Gerhard "Geri" Ott, I am 19 years old and live in Baden. In my free time, I partake in competitive pistol shooting and enjoy spending time with friends. As part of my education at the Economic High School I was allowed to do an Internship for a year at Display LC AG, which I will have completed this July. Time sure flies...

But let's start at the beginning of my journey.

Unfounded worries

Since I had not had any real work experience before this internship, my expectations were far from reality. I had doubts about my own abilities before the start of the internship, as I had only been able to gain limited experiences in my professional life. These and other worries however,  disappeared when I had my first day at work. From the very beginning, every employee was friendly and courteous. So I didn't feel like an intruder, but more like a welcomed guest.

The first day

After I had been introduced to everyone and had been shown around all the premises, it was time to find out more about my upcoming daily tasks and challenges for the next 12 months.

Since I was primarily assigned to the logistics department, it's tasks were of particular importance to me. There were two workplaces which covered very different areas of responsibility. One was my "normal" workplace in the office, where I had my own PC and telephone. The other was my second workplace in the warehouse, which is located on the lower floor of the building, where all incoming and outgoing goods are processed. In the office I was shown which tools and internal instruments are used to work and communicate with. I was shown what my area of responsibility would be and was able to gain an insight into the day-to-day work of the logistics department. This already gave me a good impression of what my activities will involve and I was already allowed to try processing some documents myself.

Special caution!

In the warehouse, the safety operations were of great importance. It was made clear to me what actions are forbidden and where special caution is required. For the first time in my life, I was able to operate a high-lift truck, as it does not require any training. It was explained to me with what system all pallets and packages are stored and finally dispatched. I was also allowed to handle a package and wrap a pallet myself.

At the end of the day, I felt relieved and went home with a good feeling. I already knew then, that I had made the right choice for my Internship at Display LC. 

My Revelations

After I was introduced, the process of familiarization began. Within a short period of time, I gained important experience which can be applied not only to my professional life but to my private one too. Above all, I learned how to work most effectively on my own and what strategies and tools can help me. I learned how a company works and how the different departments work together. 
Something I had to learn was to trust my abilities. I have to believe in my abilities and be confident in the answer I give. As a result, over time, I shared my results and answers with a newfound confidence, which customers and co-workers appreciated.
As I was entrusted with more and more work over time and had to do it more and more independently, it was important to maintain an overview. An overview is only possible, if you reliably keep a checklist or journal in which you list and process all pending tasks. This prevents you from feeling overwhelmed or simply forgetting things. This supports and promotes a reliable way of working.

What I take away from my year in practice

What I will keep for my whole life is the fact that it doesn't take much effort to treat your fellow human beings, whether customers or employees, with respect and dignity. After all, everyone should treat others the way they would like to be treated. If you have a positive attitude that persists even in unpleasant situations, it saves you a great deal of stress and negative feelings, for yourself and others. This was clearly noticeable at Display LC, where all employees are helpful, polite and courteous to each other, creating a sense of community that makes everyone pull on the same string.