An insight into my first work experience

By Teresa Ferreira, winner of 2020 Paper Wings scholarship

It is very difficult to know who we want to be at a professional level without having a

first work experience. We can imagine and take some guesses, but reality does not live

on dreams. That's why the Paper Wings Scholarship and my internship at Didimo was

extremely important for me to get to know myself a little better and know that for now,

I'm following a path that I'm enjoying.

After being awarded the Paper Wings scholarship, I received support that had an enormous impact on my first year of college, which ended up contributing to the internship as well. I can say that I felt that the first days at Didimo were the most impactful for me. There was a lot of new information and a very well-defined team rhythm and environment to which I had to adapt. Fortunately, everyone supported me and tried to

help me as much as possible, which allowed me to enjoy this experience right from the

start.

During the internship, I did UI Testing Automation. I had never done anything related to

this, so when I finished, I felt proud of myself since I felt I was capable to do much more

than I thought if I put my mind to it. During the time I was there I had to look for the

right tools, I had to plan the test cases for the Customer Portal and I had to implement

them. As expected, not everything was a bed of roses. Sometimes I was blocked, but as

I asked for help, everyone would try to help me as quickly as possible. Another thing I

noticed: I improved my communication skills. Every morning we had standups where we shared what we had done the day before and what we were planning to do that day. Over time I felt that this process became more and more natural and helped me plan effectively which made me feel more comfortable.

As expected with a first work experience, every day was an adventure, as there

was always something new to learn. However, it wasn't just the quick learning that

left a mark on me. In fact, what had the most impact on me was following the evolution

of a company and knowing its rhythm and the organization of its different teams. Everyone

feels that they belong there and that they can have a real impact on what they are

doing. This motivated me and made me proud to be able to say that I worked within an international team filled with such greatness and respect.

Now that a year has passed I can safely say that this scholarship and the people

associated with it are leading me to a place of success. Overall, both the Paper Wings

scholarship and the internship at Didimo exceeded my expectations, and I am sure these learning experiences will unlock more opportunities in my future!