How did you come to join Arineo?
Sophie: My search in mid-2020 was something along the lines of “IT training in Göttingen.” I wasn’t happy at university, and due to the pandemic, I decided to take a different path into the world of work. I had already heard about the IT service provider Arineo from a fellow student who was working there as a student trainee, so I sent one of my first speculative applications to the company.
Your application was successful. What was the training like?
Sophie: After I was hired, I spent two and a half years in vocational school, learning practically on the job in e-commerce development and having a lot of fun. At Arineo, I learned a wide range of skills: from programming languages and website design principles to customer communication and project management. But I made the fastest progress working on “live” projects: in my first year, I worked on a self-built web shop, and from the second year onwards, I was directly involved in ongoing customer projects in the company.
You were able to work on a customer project during your training. What were your tasks?
Sophie: After my first year of training, I was full to the brim with knowledge and impatient, ready to start real project work. The request from a customer in Göttingen came at just the right time for me: a new website, including design and WordPress* maintenance, was required.
A project always starts with a requirements analysis, and so I quickly found myself in my first proper customer meeting. Full of enthusiasm and with the support of my training supervisor, Marvin Behnke, I independently developed a modern version of their existing website. The existing website no longer met the requirements of a modern company website, neither in functionality nor design. I handled the redesign (as a mock-up), configured WordPress, and conducted user training for the client. This allowed me to not only apply what I had learned but also to take responsibility for the planning and implementation of the entire project, including all communication with the client. That experience remains a major highlight of my training to this day.
“IT service projects are very complex. In the first step, it is therefore important to teach trainees the fundamentals of application development – from learning the necessary programming languages to the project phases and customer interaction. Before our trainees are involved in ongoing projects, they work on internal training projects. Things get really exciting once the trainees start active client work. In Sophie’s case, we were lucky that a full project was available. She was able to expand her knowledge and skills through the project challenges and successes and put them to good use for the rest of her training.”
Marvin Behnke, Senior Consultant/Developer CXS, Arineo GmbH
How did that project experience influence the rest of your training?
Sophie: In training, any kind of practical experience is worth its weight in gold. This project gave me the chance to gain experience in a nurturing environment. This close support provides security, as there is always someone available to answer questions or support you in critical moments. And with every new experience in the project, I also gained confidence in myself – be it through the confidence in the skills I learned, which I was able to apply, or the new situations I experienced.
As this project was also my first time working closely with clients, I was able to say with certainty afterwards: this is fun. Because in our field, it’s not just about programming – it’s also about working with clients and colleagues.
I really enjoy the project, and it made me want more. Today, this project work is a core part of my everyday job.
*WordPress is a tool that lets you create and manage your own website or blog.
**A mock-up is like a visual model of a design or product. It shows how something should look and function so that feedback can be collected before the actual development. Mock-ups are particularly useful for making design decisions and ensuring that everyone involved has a clear understanding of the finished product. They are often used in web design, graphic design, product design, and marketing.
Further insights into training at Arineo
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Sophie Lau
Sophie Lau works as a developer and consultant in SAP Commerce and as a team leader in the Microsoft Power Pages environment. She is also involved in internal projects.
