Success Stories

Success Stories

Artemis Neofytou – IT Coordinator, Klik2Learn

I started an internship in May 2011 with Klik2learn, a start up e-learning company based in Glasgow. The internship was advertised on the Adopt an Intern website. After applying and having a brief discussion/interview with Joy (Adopt an Intern) on the phone…there I was at my interview with Klik2learn. Thankfully everything went well and my journey began.

First day at the office…

The company is based at the Strathclyde University, Incubator. The moment I walked into my office for the first time, I faced this poster quoting E.E. Cummings:

“To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight. Never stop fighting.”

I had a flashback of the year that passed me by: Graduation/New possibilities/Excitement/Economic crisis facts/Numerous job applications/Unemployment/Disappointment/Economic crisis myths/Fear for the unknown future/Stress and Anxiety/Depressed feelings/Acceptance/Decision making. That moment I realised that no matter how difficult things had been or might become, if you just keep fighting, eventually something good will happen.

Now back to the internship…

The exciting part of working with a start-up company is that along the way you can mould yourself into different roles whilst the company itself changes (unavoidably). This can often be confusing because focusing only on one thing is difficult and finishing things seems impossible. But it can also be a rewarding experience since you get the opportunity to improve your skills in many different fields at the same time.

My degree is in Computer Science but my career aspiration is to become a digital designer which is the reason I attended a Master Degree in Design and Digital media. Yet as an intern at Klik2learn I was given the IT Coordinator position. My focus was on more technical stuff. But, throughout time more creative tasks came along and I had the chance to show my design skills. That led to the point where I am at the moment, working mostly as a designer for the company.

Things get rough sometimes. Decisions need to be made and my knowledge doesn’t always apply to our issues. I can proceed comfortably with some tasks but many others are unknown to me. When I am being asked to do something and I am not sure of what I am capable of, my typical reaction is (which probably my bosses are fed up of hearing): “I don’t know but I can research this and find out”. If there’s one thing that I’ve learnt from this experience is that knowledge comes when you research and try things out. Plus my stress is less from the moment I decided to admit that IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO KNOW EVERYTHING. And that’s how I make it through the day. But in case I forget (my lack of memory can be really tricky), I turn my head to the next poster in front of my desk, this time with a quote by R.W. Emerson:

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.”

I will leave you with that, whether you are someone struggling to survive in a working environment as an intern or someone that is looking for an opportunity out there.

Artemis Neofytou
Adopt an Intern Alumni
IT Coordinator, Klik2Learn

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