students@evonik
At the heart of the action, not just on the sidelines!
Tim studies International Economics and Emerging Markets and decided to do his practical semester at Performance Materials. In our students@Evonik blog, he not only talks about his daily tasks, but also about his most exciting event at Evonik.
At the heart of the action, not just on the sidelines! Tim at Performance Materials
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“At the heart of the action, not just on the sidelines”. This short sentence summarizes my practical semester at Evonik’s Performance Materials GmbH.
However, I should start at the beginning.
My name is Tim and I´m 23 years old. I completed my 5-month practical semester in the communications department of Performance Materials as part of my studies in International Business and Emerging Markets.
The curriculum of my studies includes a practical semester at a company as well as geographical, cultural and economic subjects. In this context, a special focus is placed on the economies of the Asian and Eastern European countries. If you are a student of international business, it is also important to develop a good intercultural competence in addition to a sound academic education. Therefore, the communications department of a global corporation offers optimal conditions to gain experience in this field and to put my acquired knowledge into practice.
On my very first day at work, I realized that I´m not just another intern, but a full team member. I was not only present at meetings, phone conferences or workshops, but was also actively involved in them. I was entrusted with many tasks and it was great to see how my own work was applied to everyday business.
The ultimate highlight for me was the visit to the K2019 in Düsseldorf, Germany, the world trade fair for plastic and rubber. I was particularly fascinated by the high profile of Evonik in the world and it made me proud to be part of this team at the trade show.
The combination of theoretical knowledge and practical experience, as well as the friendly working environment, makes Evonik a top address for practical semesters. I strongly recommend all students with an interest in working independently, an international field of activity or exciting tasks to do a practical semester or a regular internship at companies.
This little story of mine shows hopefully why I felt like I was right at the heart of all the action at Evonik and not just on the sidelines.
See you soon
Your Tim