Lars, Oliver and Florian talk about what they experience in their day-to-day work
Introductory weeks at university, first projects at the company, the Christmas party, a game of Boßeln — and then Corona came with homeschooling, internal site separations, working from home, and no more social employee gatherings. The first year of training for our dual students Lars Kölker (Hochschule Weserbergland), Oliver Renze (IT & Business School), and our apprentice Florian von Garrel (BBS Haarentor) was turbulent and maybe a bit unexpected. In an interview with our colleague Diana, the three share their experiences from their first year at AMCON.
The essentials at a glance:
Although no one expected that a third of their first training year would be overshadowed by Corona, our apprentices are very happy with their choice to train as IT specialists in application development and to pursue a dual degree in business informatics. Florian finds the camaraderie better than expected, especially appreciating the great relationships with colleagues. Oliver is enthusiastic about his dual studies at IBS. He enjoys the variety between practical and theoretical phases and the flexible working hours, which even allow him to go swimming before work. Lars likes the student life at HSW in Hameln because there is always a lot going on. Life in the AMCON shared apartment runs smoothly, especially when his roommates Stefan and Lukas cook for him. Then Yannick (team leader for web) joined the conversation and wanted to chip in on the most important topic: “food at employee get-togethers” 😊
How was your first day at university/vocational school? Do you remember how it went?
Oliver: The introductory day at IBS was really special. We were in the lecture hall, and the academy heads and professors introduced themselves. Afterwards, there was a casual get-together with sparkling wine and an opportunity to get to know the other students.
Lars: At HSW, we had an entire orientation week with a city rally, ice-breaker games, a night hike, Flunkyball, and from the start, we could move into our AMCON shared apartment.
Florian: We are the first year where classes are almost entirely digital. We work on laptops or tablets and don’t use paper. The topic of “digital school” plays a big role at BBS Haarentor in Oldenburg. Currently, I go there twice a week and from next school year only once a week.
Are you happy with your career choice? After the first year, do you think you made the right decision?
Oliver: I really like it and find the mix between theory and practice great. You regularly break the routine, and it’s less stressful than I thought. That’s probably due to the many freedoms we have at the company. I like using the flexible hours to go swimming before work or just sleep in. So far, studying has gone well — I expected information overload but that hasn’t happened.
Florian: I’m very happy with the training. I wanted to be in a company where people know each other and address each other by first names. My expectations were exceeded because everyone here is very relaxed and I enjoy coming to work. Plus, they do a lot to make us feel comfortable and the employee events are legendary.
Lars: I don’t have much to add because I also really like it and would make the same choice again. Studying at HSW is a lot of fun too.
What projects are you currently working on at AMCON?
Lars: I switched teams two weeks ago and moved from the Sevelter Straße location to the Mühlenstraße site. I already like the Web team a lot. Before that, I worked on the test tool for the ticket manager. Currently, I handle the displays on the info screens at all locations.
Florian: At first, we did smaller exercises like TicTacToe with an unbeatable AI. Now, I’m working on a new module for the background system that aims to simplify accounting and ticketing for discount promotions.
Oliver: I’m in the pre-sales team and started out working on the interfaces for the sales terminals because I needed to learn the programming languages first. After some time, I worked on tickets for productive systems and fixed minor bugs. It was great when we started the BVG project and got to work with Pyramid’s customer terminals. Since I share an office with Konstantin (team lead), I’ve been involved in this project from the start.
How has your daily work/school routine changed since Corona?
Florian: It took a while to get homeschooling started. In early May, we received tasks to complete and send back, but we didn’t have online classes. That’s why I was mostly in the office and only did home office two days a week. Since June 1st, we’ve been alternating weekly attendance until the holidays. It’s a pity that we didn’t see the apprentices at other locations for a long time and that our apprentice weekly meetings could only happen online.
Oliver: My study phase began exactly when the restrictions started, and IBS reacted quickly. Except for exams, all classes took place online. It’s sad we couldn’t see each other at university for so long. But the upside was no more commuting daily to Oldenburg. At the office, not much changed, except that events are missing.
Lars: Some professors quickly switched to online courses via Microsoft Teams. Others took a few days, but overall classes continued quickly under the circumstances. Since Corona, we haven’t been back to Hameln in the shared apartment but stayed home. That’s a shame because student life isn’t happening anymore — no events or parties. We miss that, and AMCON misses it too. I really hope the summer party in September can take place.
A special question for Lars: How is living together in the AMCON shared apartment? Who does the shopping? Who cooks? And who cleans? 😊
Lars: In the first semester, we had a cleaning lady because another student insisted. In the second semester, we cleaned ourselves, though it was short and we were barely in Hameln due to Corona. Regarding cooking: Lukas and Stefan are great cooks, and I offer moral support 😊 We also order food or go out with fellow students. Otherwise, everyone has their own space since we have separate rooms. Going out in Hameln is great, and living there lets us enjoy student life properly.
What’s your favorite food after employee gatherings?
Oliver: AMCON pizza is always great, though we only get it occasionally.
Yannick (web team leader) enters the room from the balcony with a pizza in hand: “On this important topic, I have to say the kebab street was really awesome.”
Lars: “But you always had to wait because the line moved slowly.”
Yannick: “Not really. I was first at the buffet and first in the second round, so I never waited long.”
(Laughter all around — Lars clearly has some things to learn from Yannick 😊)
If you want to start an apprenticeship or dual studies in August 2021, apply at bewerbung@amcon.de