Intern Talk – Jonathan Godeyne

At Tobania, we are passionate about providing people with the opportunity to grow and improve themselves. Including Young Potentials and students, who are about to start their professional journey. Divided over different business units and departments, they are taught the ins and outs of the professional workplace. And they are eager to share their first experiences with you! Featured in this edition: Jonathan Godeyne, Intern at the business unit Tobania Development.

Can you briefly introduce yourself, Jonathan?

I’m Jonathan Godeyne, 29 years old and last year student of Applied Computer Sciences with a major in Application Development at PXL. In my spare time I like to enjoy having some good food with my girlfriend and friends. On quiet evenings you can also find me at the computer gaming.

In which unit did you work and what was your role exactly?

I am an intern on the Acerta project. I was part of the .NET team in the factory part of Development at Tobania.

Why did you choose Tobania?

I came into contact with Tobania’s internship assignments through school (PXL) and then I contacted Niki for a personal interview. Afterwards, I immediately had a very good feeling about Tobania, and since I had found an assignment that I considered very interesting, the choice was easily made.

If you could rate your internship out of 10, how much would it be?

A 9/10. I never got the impression that I was “just” a trainee. If I had questions, there was always someone who could help me, and if they couldn’t help themselves, they referred me to someone who could. I also got the chance to sit down with the customer in person, which was also an exciting experience. It felt good that so much trust was given on the part of Tobania.

What did your usual workday look like?

I am an early bird so I usually started around 8h00 (after my first coffee). The first hours were used to look back on the previous day, and to solve possible problems of that day by approaching them with a new perspective. Then around 10h00 I attended a meeting with all the trainees together with the person responsible for the trainees, Niki, in which we could talk about what we had done and what was still on the programme for each day.

Furthermore, around 10h30, I attended a personal meeting with Walid, my technical coach, Bart, Joren and Kris, who also had a share in my internship assignment. During this meeting, the customer sometimes joined us in order to stay up-to-date with the project. Around noon, I took a lunch break and I had the rest of the day left to work on my internship assignment or any school tasks.

What was the most memorable moment during your Tobania stay?

I liked the entire internship, which was very different from attending school. I really felt like being part of a company.

Could you rely on a mentor during your internship?

My mentor was Walid, a nearshore employee working from Tunisia. This was a special experience because all communication with him was online and in English. I had a meeting with him every day so that he could keep track of what I was doing. If I got stuck on certain parts or if I had other technical questions, I could always call on him. He always tried to free up time to help me as quickly as possible.

How would you describe our Tobian community in three words?

Friendly, open-minded and helpful.

Got any tips for others who are just about to start their internship?

Don’t be overwhelmed, in the beginning everything seems a lot but it gets better after a few weeks. Make sure you enjoy it, it will be over sooner than you think.