It is a huge opportunity to be an engineering graduate in a large and innovative company with endless of possibilities but can also be challenging in terms of finding the right position. As a graduate, the question “Where do you want to end up after the graduate program?” is asked on a weekly basis and is not easy to answer when many different areas catch your interest. My spaghetti-thinking mindset, where I am going back and forth thinking of different ideas and possibilities, together with the willingness of being transparent, honest, and open to both the person asking this question and to myself, can be tiring. Two of the things that frighten me are to start a permanent position where tasks may not vary enough, and to close doors to possibilities if I choose one specific career path. The reason behind these is that my life choice has always fallen on choosing the broad way with lots of flexibility and variety.

I have experienced a high level of both flexibility and variety in the graduate program so far and I believe that starting a career in a graduate program is favorable in terms of finding the areas that interest you. I have been in the graduate program for just over a year now, and a month ago I started my third rotation in the Discovery team where I work with the newest technology and future innovations. Before that, I have been six months in each of the departments Quality and Hardware within Mechanical Development. I am lucky to be working with many different colleagues, tasks, and projects which is a great opportunity when trying to figure out where to end up after the graduate program. In the program, you do not only try out different areas, but you also get the chance to ask for career advice and work experiences from your colleagues while building up a big network within the organization.

During my time in the graduate program, I am trying out a couple of small strategies to get closer to finding my career passion, besides receiving advice from the people around me. Firstly, I am considering what a perfect workday would look like, what interactions, tasks, and meetings I would prefer and what motivates me to go to work and perform my very best. Secondly, I am trying to list and rate these different blocks filling up my calendar; what is most important for me and what is less important when it comes to a perfect day at work. Additionally, I am deciding on dedicated time periods during which I allow myself to think of my near future career goals, not forgetting to enjoy and experience the current rotation I am part of. Lastly, talking to my mentors and managers and getting a second perspective is something that helps me a lot in finding my path in the jungle of work opportunities.

In conclusion, my best advice for finding out what you want to work with in the near future is to start your career in a graduate program, ask friends, family or colleagues about their experiences and advice, think of your perfect workday, and take help from your mentor and manager. If you do not have a mentor already, I would recommend trying to find someone who has a bit more experience than yourself and who can support you in your career choices.

Good luck!

Jennie Walfridson, Engineering Graduate
jewf@demant.com