Marco

Marco from Italy shares his journey of completing an internship at Ideon in Lund, Sweden, which led to a full-time position as a Software Developer at Storvix.

What motivates a student from Italy to travel to another country to do an internship there?
I chose to do an internship abroad because I thought it would be more interesting. I wanted the opportunity to meet other people and learn about their perspectives. I'm proud to be here today and to have completed this project.

Tell me about yourself, what have you studied and what were your ambitions before coming to Sweden?
I studied computer science for three years at secondary school, and my ambition before coming to Sweden was to learn from other programmers and coders. Italians are not considered the strongest in the field of programming, which is why I wanted to travel abroad, meet highly skilled programmers and learn from them.

What is your professional role today and what do you mainly work with?
My professional role today is Software Developer, but I carry out a variety of tasks, mostly involving coding. My work also includes documentation, analysis and networking.

Did you find it difficult to adapt in Sweden when it comes to the Swedish language and culture?
Yes, it was very difficult because Swedish is completely different from all the languages I know (English and Italian). I don’t understand much yet, but with modern technologies such as translators I’m able to overcome most of the challenges. Almost all the Swedish people I’ve met speak English, which makes everyday life much easier.

Sweden has a flatter organisational structure compared with other EU countries. Was that something you noticed compared with Italy?
Not immediately, but once I had been here for a while it became very clear.

Would you recommend the experience to other students?
Yes, absolutely. However, I am aware that opportunities are limited and that not everyone gets the chance to go. I was fortunate to be selected because I attended a technical school, where generally far fewer people are interested in doing an internship abroad.

Do you feel you were prepared enough before coming to Sweden? Is there anything you would change?
You can never be 100% prepared for this kind of experience at this age.

You clearly had a very positive internship experience, but was there anything you didn’t enjoy or that didn’t meet your expectations?
The only thing I didn’t particularly enjoy was the group I was in, but the experience itself was excellent.

Any last words for students thinking about this programme?
Just go!