Four things I learned in vocational school
What does a non-smoker do in the smokers yard? In this blog post marketing trainee Chrisi tells you what she learned in her first year of vocational school.
At the beginning of February, after more than half a year of work, I was allowed to attend vocational school. Yay! At long last, I’d be able to learn again, get up earlier and be surrounded by teachers. My level of enthusiasm was literally written on my face. Altogether there were 23 of us in the class – well, on the good days, at least. My class included people from Carinthia and Tyrol, as well as younger and somewhat older trainees. And like in every school, I learned a lot in the two months I was there. I’ll describe just what it is I learned in this blog post:
1. How to handle a dangerous cutting machine
Our parents taught us that knives, scissors and electricity aren’t for kids. Maybe that’s why cutting machines look scary. That or the fact that the teacher said it can cut off your finger in an instant and we only have a first aid kit that isn’t exactly new. With this in mind, I approached it with a bit of extra caution. Note: As long as there aren’t any panicky classmates in the vicinity that can reach for it, not much can happen – there’s a safety device, and you have to press it with both hands.
2. How to smoke as a non-smoker
As a non-smoker, I sometimes decided to leave the dark classroom and join the others in the smoking yard. And what does a non-smoker do while out there? Exactly: Get some fresh air, stand, look around and talk a bunch of nonsense. But as one of my classmates always says, the best ideas arise from the most absurd conversations. I’ve noticed this because some of these ideas have been implemented in my projects.
3.Getting up earlier
What was the hardest thing to overcome? Getting up early, of course! I had to do it in order to catch the earlier train to get to my vocational school. On the first day I rode this train (a Monday), I unfortunately didn’t get a seat – I had to stand and almost fell over because the train was shaking so much. But over time I also found a few advantages to waking up early. I am no longer hassled by my dad to be faster so that he can drink his coffee before work. And in the evening, I come home early. My conclusion: At some point I got used to getting up early and realized that it isn’t as bad as I originally thought. And fortunately, not getting a seat on the morning train hasn’t become a regular trend.
4. Working with InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator
I of course also learned a lot about what I need for my job. Since my scholastic profession known as – wait for it – “Media expert – market communication and advertising” is managed together with the “Media expert – media design and media technology” scholastic professions, this vocational school year taught me a lot about graphic design. I didn’t have much experience with this beforehand and have therefore learned a great deal. By the end of the school year I proudly created my own magazine, a flyer and a poster.
I learned a lot at vocational school. Not just for my job, but also about things that help me to form my own opinion. In other words, a lot of general knowledge (which in my opinion should always be refreshed a bit anyway). I met plenty of new people, and at the end I even sang in a bar. So then, that about sums up my first year at vocational school. If you’re interested in a new challenge and want to learn along the way, then take a look at our current job offers. We allocate apprenticeships in various departments on a regular basis. And if you’ve already finished studying, maybe there’s something for you among the other jobs.
