Mr. Tahsin Esroy, from Turkey, Kaunas University of Technology - Data Analyst Trainee
From studying in Lithuania to working in Slovakia, Tahsin Ersoy, who is originally from Turkey now finished his traineeship in Slovakia after 8 months. Firstly, he graduated with the diploma in Bachelor of Science, Electronics Engineering, and afterward, he moved to Kaunas to get his Master's degree in Computing, Informatics at Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. Let´s find out a little more about the work-life and the social life she encountered here in Bratislava.
2. Why did you decide to take the Erasmus + internship opportunity? Why did you choose Slovakia?
During my studies, I heard a lot about erasmus, that many people went either to study or to internship. When I was studying, I could not go for an internship, but they promised me that after I graduated, I would have this opportunity. And right before the release, I began to look for opportunities all over Europe and then my sister sent me a website and it somehow worked out. To be honest, before the start of the internship, I even confused Slovakia and Slovenia. (but now of course I know the difference)
3. What were your main responsibilities and tasks while you were on the traineeship?
My duties were to automate the workflows for the financial teams and organize the database according the needs. Moreover, created reports, dashboards and developed new projects for the business.
4. Did you learn anything new in your field? Tell us bit more about your acquired skills and competencies.
When I came to the internship, I was completely new in this field, so I was taught everything I needed. From the beginning, my mentor and my colleagues are really helpful and they showed me the way how to do work in the company. I have improved my IT skills and really learned a lot while working. Especially, I have used databases so I get to work a lot on SQL queries and I feel confident about it. Working in a corporate workspace made me improve my communication and presentation skills.
5. What was the most beneficial part of your work?
My team treated me like a colleague, not an intern. They just said what I needed to do or prepare and I already did it myself, as a result I learned it in a hard but effective way. Also, I had full access to the technologies they used and I had to figure out how to solve this or that problem and how to do this or that task. Besides work, it is an opportunity to meet new people, have fun and parties.
6. What would you say about Slovakia? Have you noticed any cultural differences between Slovakia and your country?
Compared to Turkey, I noticed a lot of differences in culture, which over time I just got used to, and I felt so chill. Slovak people like the nature and spending time with it. Like hiking. For me it wasn't really popular way to spend my time so that was really nice to experience here. I see the how nature can be really beautiful and calming place to spend. I think that Slovakia is a nice small country where everything is very close, with many beautiful and historical places.
7. How did Covid influence your life during the internship? Pros and cons?
As an intern, it was difficult for me to get used to home office in the beginning, as it would be easier to learn and interact with colleagues, so I didn't get to know them very well.
8. Would you like to recommend anything to the newcomers?
Feel free to ask, talk and interact with people, I can even advise you to be open to people to make the internship easier for you