Philip King – The story so far of one of our interns at QED Training

In this post, one of our interns, college student Philip King, recounts his time so far in QED Training, along with what he’s learned and what he hopes to learn during the rest of his time here with us…

There’s a common phrase which I seem to be uttering quite frequently as of late: “I would not believe you if you told me a year ago that this is where I would be today.” Not is this only true of having my own accommodation, having and running a car with my own funds, but it is true of where I would spend my 9-5, Monday to Friday here at QED Training.

Being in college has presented me with a plethora of opportunities  to take hold of, one of which was the option of extending my undergraduate degree by a year by working full/part time in industry on an industrial work placement. Since hearing about this option at the beginning of my college career in NUI Maynooth, I was pretty set that this would be something I would go for. And being a Business Administration student specialising in Entrepreneurship, QED seems to be a perfect fit.

I remember the first few weeks of work here in QED with fondness: being introduced to the team, getting settled at a desk, starting to work on some small projects, coming to terms with the morning commute. All great times which have continued into the following weeks and months. I’ve had the privilege of being in the company at a very special time, with multiple important events taking place, big contracts being won, books being published, etc.

The gist of my work I guess could be classified under administration, but as Noel and Joanne have said to me in the past, no one day will be the same, and this is true. I’ve had the opportunity to engage in corporate photography and video recording,  project co-ordination and much more besides, which has meant that there has rarely been a dull moment in the office. As challenging as it may be, it is certainly never boring.

And I suppose that is one of the great lessons that I have been able to take away from these first few months here in the office; that office work isn’t all boring. My only other previous office experience was certainly not as pleasurable as this, and I guess for a long time my perception of the work of an office staff was coloured thusly. My time here has shown me that office work is more than just sitting at a desk for 8 hours a day and is in fact at times, something which I quite enjoy.

Working with QED Training has been a great experience thus far. I’m here until roughly mid-August, so there is plenty of time left for new and exciting possibilities and challenges to be thrown my way. In any case, with about 6 months of my year long internship down, I can safely say that I’m looking forward to the rest of my time, honing my skills and developing my work ethic, along with continuing to discover more about myself and the working world with great anticipation.