Introducing the IT Industry Experience to Young Minds
»I think I've broken down some preconceptions about what it means to work as an IT consultant.«
Christian, intern from 9th-grade
Through digitisation, we’re able to create sustainable changes that help shape the societies of the future. But what does it entail to work in IT? And what kind of different career opportunities exist within the industry? This can be difficult to grasp while still at school, and future career choices may seem distant. That’s why we support various organisations and initiatives that help youth gain insight into the IT industry.
As part of Science Day, an annual event by Naturvidenskabernes Hus (House of Natural Sciences), we invited two high school classes to preview life as an IT consultant at Netcompany. Here, the students got a glimpse into our various projects and saw how we develop digital IT solutions for society. They even got the chance to put theory into practice with a case they had to solve under the guidance of our experienced consultants.
17-year-old Nicolai from Vestskoven Gymnasium was one of the students who participated in Science Day. Nicolai attends a class where programming is a part of the curriculum, and his interest in IT was already substantial.
»It was exciting to work on problem-solving in a different and more structured way than I’m used to. From designing our solutions to creating them. It made a lot of sense to break the task down into different processes. I also gained a greater understanding of the connection between some of the different programming languages.«
The day gave Nicolai new knowledge and inspiration for his future educational path. When it comes to the future, he’s also certain—it will involve something related to IT! However, he still needs to determine which area he wishes to specialise in.
Getting an insight into the daily life at Netcompany through internships
Science Day is far from our only initiative for children and young people. In collaboration with the Municipality of Copenhagen, we recently welcomed five 9th-grade students for a weekly internship with us. During the week they got to follow some of our employees in their daily work. Apart from getting an introduction to our work and projects, the students also had the opportunity to delve deep into coding as they had to program a webshop.
Sophia and Christian, both 15 years old, were among the students, and both think they have gained a lot of value from their internship.
Christian’s curiosity to learn more about IT and experience daily life in a large company led him to seek an internship at Netcompany. One of the most surprising things for him was the strong team spirit within the different teams.
»I think I’ve broken down some preconceptions about what it means to work as an IT consultant. For example, I’ve been positively surprised by how much social interaction is involved. Even on a project, you always have your colleagues to help you, and you’re never alone.«
Christian presents his webshop idea
Sophia and her partner finetunes their solution
Like Christian, Sophia was also curious to learn more about what it’s like to work in IT.
»I wanted to see what working in a real workplace is like. My mum works in the IT industry. I’ve always thought it sounded exciting and something I’d like to try.«
Team manager Gürkan Koyuncu was one of the employees the students had the chance to follow during the week. It was an experience he was happy to contribute to by sharing his own experiences and reflections about pursuing a career in IT.
»I was unsure about my choice of education at one point. That’s why it’s important for me to contribute to giving young people an insight into what it’s like to work in IT and talk about the many different career opportunities within the industry.«
Our consultant Frederik shares feedback
One of the key lessons Gürkan hopes the students will take away is the difference they can make through digitisation and IT.
»I hope they’ve realised how exciting IT is! You get to see the concrete results of your work and experience the value our solutions create in society.«
You can read more about our social ambitions and what we do to support the next generation of IT professionals here.
