Remote practical training: yes or no?

Hi,

My name is Daria and I have completed the second year of my studies at JAMK. Last summer, I had my practical training at a Finnish IT company called WorldSome Oy and I would like to share my experiences with you. I hope you will find something interesting or useful for your further studies and career reading this short post. If you have any questions, please, do not hesitate to contact me via email: k9345@student.jamk.fi

To begin with, I was working at WorldSome as a marketing and customer relations assistant. When it comes to my responsibilities, the main task I was supposed to carry out as a part of a team was an assistance in marketing planning, development and coordination phases of a project, whose aim was to attract more institutions to join the business network portal created by the company. Furthermore, I was assigned to run a social media account related to the company’s activities, particularly, promoting a digital platform among a target audience.

This experience was something new and unusual for me not only because of an opportunity to put my theoretical knowledge I gained at JAMK into practice but also due to the fact that all 5 months I was working remotely and almost without a supervision. Of course, we had regular Skype meetings together with my team but I guess everyone knows how tempting it is to be distracted by something else but not your task when you do not have a fixed schedule. Nevertheless, looking back, I consider it to be a positive aspect of my practical training because it made me get out of my comfort zone.

Eventually, what benefits did I get from this kind of experience? First of all, I was capable of improving my time-management skills as I was supposed to create my schedule by myself. Secondly, I boosted my leadership skills as it was crucial to exercise initiative and take a personal responsibility. Finally, I had a chance to work within a multicultural team who were extremely supportive and nice people to work with. As a bonus, I was in charge of a content creation for the company’s Instagram page, which I enjoyed so much because one of my hobbies is photography and my idea from the beginning was to use only my photos while running the blog there. I felt fulfilled and satisfied when I saw that something I have created could bring a value to the company.

Taking everything into consideration, would I recommend completing a remote practical training? Definitely yes, if you are a person who appreciates a flexible approach or changes location a lot due to traveling or other reasons. However, it is crucial to remember that this kind of job is suitable for people with a good self-discipline and motivation.

Regards,

Daria