Joining VWDS through Junior Academy
Hi there!
My name is Carolina Camilo, I am an IT Service Analyst in the Mobile Online Services Team and this article is about how I joined the ride of Volkswagen Digital Solutions.
In September of 2021 I applied for the VWDS’ Junior Academy – this program is built to include people without much professional experience in the company, giving us the opportunity to meet people with different backgrounds and different ways of thinking and start to feel part of the VWDS Family.
Starting the program, me and my junior colleagues spent one day in each tech unit. The first day was spent on SDC, the second one on MDH and the last day on AMS. It was an excellent experience to get to know the three tech units better, but I have to admit that the third day was my favourite one because I met my future tech unit, my office and the team I would integrate.
During the Academy, I always felt integrated and supported by my colleagues who were all very welcoming, open minded and helpful despite the tech unit.
Once the recruiting process of the Junior Academy ended I joined the Mobile Online Services (MOS) Team as an IT Service Analyst at only 21 years old, being the youngest element of my team. On the MOS RUN team, we provide support to Volkswagen clients by performing Incident and Request Management.
Initially, joining a Support Team seemed like a big step to take, since the team had a lot of projects to manage and the processes seemed to be quite complex. As a new joiner, I may have had to work twice as hard at the beginning and ask more questions than everyone, however we never felt lonely because we have a whole team to support us!
My first steps at Volkswagen Digital Solutions started with the Onboarding Process, where I received a schedule with a variety of sessions and courses that I would have to attend and complete in the first weeks. After completing the courses assigned by my team, it became easier to understand the company rules and the team’s processes in depth and also to follow my coworkers on their own tasks.
Furthermore, on the Onboarding Process it was possible to gain knowledge about the different tools that are used in every project, which then allowed me to start performing some of the tasks by Reverse Shadowing. The Reverse Shadowing is one of the most important components of the whole on-boarding process because it will allow us to carry our tasks in a more independent way, but of course, with the help and guidance of someone from our Team.
The Onboarding Process, for me, was very well structured and, besides helping me to learn a lot about the company culture, it also allowed me to bond with my teammates. It has been very nice to get to know them and they are always available to help in anything that I need.
Although, in the first months, things can seem a little overwhelming because we have a lot to catch up on about the company, the team and its projects, we have to trust the process and know it is ok to ask for help. Remember that no Human being learns without aid or support!
A support job is an extremely rewarding career, where you can help other teams with their tasks and solve problems that directly impact the customers’ life. When you work in a support job, you acquire skills that will be needed in every single role so basically you are part of one and each team. At the end of each day, you can feel that you have learned something new and this is so gratifying.
Summing up my journey here at Volkswagen Digital Solutions, I can say that it has been a great professional and personal experience, where I have been learning and growing a lot. In the end, I would definitely recommend the juniors out there to join the next VWDS Junior Academy.