Philipp Mannel, communicode What projects have you worked on? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Since the first year of my apprenticeship, I have worked in my team on various e-commerce projects, i.e. web shops, which, despite having the same structure, could not be more different. For me, that reflects nicely how different the needs of the customers can be.
Philipp Mannel, communicode Did you also have your own projects? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Yes I had. For me personally, that was sometimes the best part of my apprenticeship. The practical experience that I was able to gain as a result and, above all, the sense behind it, ultimately ensure that I continued my education independently. During my time as an apprentice, I built a test manager and middleware, while also helping out on other apprentice projects such as an ordering app for lunchtime meals.
Philipp Mannel, communicode What topics do you deal with in the course of training in software development? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Oh there are many interesting topics. Search engines, search engine optimization (SEO), databases, Java development, software architecture, testing and much more.
Philipp Mannel, communicode Were there also topics that you were “thrown into”? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode In my case it was the start with the topic "testing". A framework that was quite new for the team was used and I too had to start from scratch. So I was literally thrown in at the deep end. However, at the beginning of the apprenticeship, I was also faced with the first challenge in my job: to acquire new skills quickly.
Philipp Mannel, communicode How was or is the atmosphere at communicode in which you work? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Calm and familiar. I quickly realized that I was dealing with a colorful bunch of individualists. Everyone gets involved and tries to get the best out of their work. Everyone is friendly and accommodating. You also do a lot together.
Philipp Mannel, communicode Were there any events that you were allowed to take part in? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Yes, there were and still are. For example, Shopware organizes so-called "Rookie Days" every year. We drive there, stay in the hotel and get interesting insights into the Shopware software. At the same time you get to know a lot of people and make contacts. Otherwise, communicode organizes a lot itself: parties, visits to trade fairs, think-change, open spaces and much more.
Philipp Mannel, communicode Has anything changed since your training? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode Yes, a few things. We trainees discussed with our contacts early on how the training at communicode could be improved. In order to make the throw in at the deep end as pleasant as possible, the trainees are introduced to the training topics with supervision. Small projects are sometimes used to train development and planning in equal measure. In addition, the trainees are first grouped together as a kind of team. The introduction to customer projects then happens step by step.
Philipp Mannel, communicode What about the takeover? What are the options? Raffael Hühnerschulte, communicode In my case, it was already clear before the final exam that I wanted to stay with communicode and that I would also be taken on. And I think this attitude applies to pretty much every trainee we train. After all, you have been an integral part of a large team since the beginning of your training.