5 Reasons why I love my Internship

Hedia

During my three-month internship at the SaMD start-up Hedia, I have garnered an insight into the workings of a success-driven, fast-paced workplace. The atmosphere created from amazing colleagues inspired ideas and cheerful attitudes make the office a delight.

My Internship Experience at Hedia and why I loved it

I started my internship experience with little to no knowledge of the market and field I was entering. Diabetes has always been a part of my life, with several relatives afflicted by the disease, still, who was I to say I knew how to adhere to our target market.

Coming in I was nervous. It was my first experience working in a fast-paced, award-winning startup. I came to realise however, the company I intern for is exactly where I wanted to be.

Do you also want to be a part of our team? Check out our job postings!

I could list countless different reasons as to why I have come to love this internship experience and to name a few here are 5 reasons why I love my internship at Hedia:

1 We care

At Hedia, we care about what’s provided and to whom it is providing. This company was started by our CEO, Peter, who decided to create the app in order to help people with diabetes, like himself, to manage their condition.

Hedia touches all of us on a personal level which results in the want to strive and succeed in producing the best possible solution to our consumers. We care about what we are making and to whom we are making it for, as we are also making it for ourselves. We want the app for personal use as much as for the public. Our private lives are affected by our success not just our professional lives, in this sense, we differ from other companies.

All of our personal experiences with diabetes has created a passionate team that all want the same thing: To help.

2 We learn

Coming into this position I had limited knowledge and practical experience working within the market, however, this was not an issue. I was provided with the opportunity to learn by doing.

Sitting down and working with tasks was the fastest way to learn. I wasn’t penalised for my mistakes, I was rather encouraged to learn from them. In the company, we celebrate success and learn from failure. As a student, this was very reassuring and motivating to me.

3 We make a difference

Working within the medical field as we do, our product has a direct impact on the lives of the users. Our hard work is for the betterment of society, and the lives of those affected by diabetes.

We have the opportunity to have a positive impact on people’s lives, along with the ability to see them become the best versions of themselves, is greatly motivating and fulfilling.

4 We have a mission

From day to day my tasks can be completely different, whether it be optimising content for our website, or participating in GDPR (personal data) meetings. I can never be certain of exactly what will come next.

This is the same for my colleagues. Working in a startup is very fast paced and new tasks and opportunities are presented daily. We still all have the same common goal. We have a grand achievable mission that is: providing Hedia Diabetes Assistant. Peter Lucas can show you how it works!

This long-term mission allows us to have something we can look forward to, knowing that each task gets us one step closer to the goal. This is what drives us in our day to day tasks. After we complete this goal we set our minds to the next grand vision thus continuing our productivity.

5 We are human

For me as a student, I often worry about how I can keep up with the fast-paced working environment, while still keeping on top of everything else. Coming into the office I had a lot of worries related to working hours, workload and more.

My previous workplace required formal wear when in the office, again something I had to consider when starting in Hedia.

As I found out on the first day, we are all human. We are compassionate and understanding. Speaking to my boss and colleagues was a great relief. There was an understanding that people are unique. Therefore there are no dress codes, the work hours are very flexible (which definitely helps for “B” people like me who love sleep in the morning).

Results are expected. However, in Hedia, there is a belief in making realistic goals and achieving them. There is no point is creating an impossible goal just to have it. We listen and understand each other. This not only creates a warm and trustworthy atmosphere, but it also allows us to be fully focused on the tasks at hand.

What do I do?

As a marketing Intern still studying in the school, one can expect that responsibility is not easily acquired. However, in my situation, I was fortunate enough to be trusted with a large portion of responsibility. Being entrusted such a big role, and thus becoming an important part of the team really drives the motivation to work hard and succeed.

Digital Marketing

As the company is based on the app, my tasks revolve mainly around the digital sides of marketing, this means SEO, SoMe and content creation are all things I handle from a day to day basis. It is my responsibility to gain traction for the company along with all digital platforms and grow a loyal basis as well as a brand image before the launching of the 1.0 version of the app.

My tasks are interesting and allow me to use what knowledge I have learnt in school and apply it to my everyday work. This is an invaluable learning experience for me as a student and as a person. I have learnt key values like responsibility, confidence and dedication from my time in Hedia. These are values I will bring with me throughout life wherever I end up working next. These are lessons I can use in my day to day life, things that will aid in my personal growth.

Working with Purpose

Being part of such a passionate team is greatly motivating to me. Knowing we have a common goal based upon the betterment of society and the lives of those with diabetes are what drives my want to succeed. Knowing that I have had an impact, no matter how small, on influencing people to become the best versions of themselves is reward enough alone.

As passionate and hardworking as the team is, we don’t forget to enjoy the little things. I learnt early on that at Hedia, we are all people. Being invited to attend the Nordic startup award show alongside the team really made me feel part of something bigger. As a temporary intern, I was nervous how integrated I would feel, I quickly came to find this was not an issue.

From everything I have learnt, the impact I have made and the atmosphere I have worked in is what has made this Internship an incredible experience. 

You Could be next!

For those interested in a chance at the same internship experience, hedia – diabetes asssistant is currently looking for their spring interns. Read more and apply here.

Related post: How to get the most out of Hedia

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