This is why I chose an internship at CLAAS:
During my studies of agricultural economics at Humboldt University in Berlin, I decided to write my master thesis in cooperation with a company. For that, CLAAS was certainly the destination that was on the top of my list.
Not just because I was raised on a dairy farm and always had a keen interest towards agricultural technology, but also in view of the well-regarded, quality products and the strong international focus of CLAAS. For those reasons, it was an easy choice when I got the offer for a master thesis project that also included four months of internship.
How did the application process proceed?
I applied for an advertised position and was invited for a personal interview four weeks later. After a very informative and "easy going" meeting with my advisor for the master thesis and one other employee from the department "Corporate Product Strategy" I got the commitment to the internship just two weeks later. The whole process was conducted in a very professional manner.
Velvet gloves vs. Cold water – my first days:
From the first day at CLAAS I felt integrated, but also challenged in the right way. I had my own tasks from day one, but there was always the possibility to get support when I got stuck. As my internship went on, I got more responsibilities within my project. Furthermore, other interesting and diverse assignments were given to me, to work on independently or in a team.
From digital farming to market analysis, there was a bit of everything. Especially those varying tasks made for an intriguing time in the Corporate Product Strategy.
What I have learned during my internship:
First, there is the lesson, that there is quite a difference in working for a larger international company than for smaller family businesses or farms, where I previously gathered my first work experiences. Secondly, on a more personal note, I learned to structure my work day to be able to work on different projects at the same time.
It was also a very good experience and certainly a learning curve to present my results to different (target) groups and ranks within the company. In addition, working closely with the IT-department widened my knowledge base in that field significantly.
Learning by doing – Practical experience is important because:
In my opinion, there is just no way around some kind of internship during the time at the university. As I experienced it, you may not need a lot of the exact substance you learn in your studies, which can be somewhat frustrating at times. What you will need from your "study knowledge" are the methods, like preparing a well-rounded presentation or how to approach a new subject properly.
In addition, a look into the reality of work gave me a better understanding of what I want to do in the future. That is probably something you won`t ever learn at the university and makes the practical experience so valuable.
Events I will particularly remember:
It´s quite hard for me to narrow it down to single moments. If I had to, I would say the visit of Agritechnica 2019 with my fellow students was certainly a highlight. Not just because we had a very good time, but also because it is something completely different to visit the fair just as an interested visitor or farmer, but as an employee of an agricultural machinery company.
That makes for a very different point of view. Other moments I remember are smaller, but not less important. Just the good atmosphere in the department, barbeque with the colleagues or the feeling of acknowledgement for doing a good job. One other big thing for me was just the way people identify with this company. Here at CLAAS, they call themselves "green-blooded" and that might even be literally true. As I regard it, that speaks volumes about how CLAAS treats its people, its customers and its product.