Nikolaj David Kristensen has recently been hired as a Mechanical Engineer at INVISIO. However, that isn’t exactly groundbreaking. What makes Nikolaj’s employment interesting is how he got there. His employment story is one we are exceptionally proud of.
From school to hands-on
Nikolaj studied Integrated Design at SDU as a Bachelor of Engineering. A degree that focuses on product design rather than the technical aspects, but where there is also a lot of focus on theory. So Nikolaj was happy about the mandatory internship that was part of his education. And he applied for an internship with INVISIO at the Mechanical Design team:
"School projects become very theoretical; things don't have to work. But here we construct something that must work," Nikolaj explains. For him, it was during his internship that his degree and field started to make sense. “There’s a lot from school where you think, why are we learning this? I don’t see how it adds value, but it makes sense when you get a real product in your hands. You can relate it to the real world, to real problems”.
The introduction to INVISIO as an intern was comprehensive, and Nikolaj gained insight into the various components and complexity of the products.
"As an intern, you are involved in brainstorming, meetings, and projects, and can give feedback. I received the entire introduction package to the company and gained insight into the components of the product. I was allowed to work on my own project. And it's great that you can sit and make something that will be used at some point," he says, continuing: "I like that you have to think of solutions, you can design, create something that adds value".
Working with a real user group
When Nikolaj's internship ended, he was able to continue at INVISIO as a student worker for the remaining part of his studies. Nikolaj’s degree was finalized in a graduation project that he worked on in collaboration with INVISIO. Here, he could get the required sparring, and his colleagues at INVISIO assisted him in developing a case for the project. Many products are developed for the military, but Nikolaj got a chance to look at firefighters and their needs.
"I got in touch with them through INVISIO and really got to work with their needs. And the supervisors were very satisfied,” he says. It motivates Nikolaj to work with products for users who have high demands. "For me, it is important that I make proper products, with high quality. It is an exciting target group that has certain demands and needs; you don't do something that is unimportant here," he explains.
After the graduation project, Nikolaj was offered a job. "I thought it was a good opportunity that I couldn't say no to. INVISIO is a great company, and there is a good social atmosphere at the office, so it was a bit of a no-brainer to say yes," he says.
Why INVISIO?
For Nikolaj, it means a lot that there is a good community at the workplace. "That you feel that you are being taken care of and that there are always people you can ask who have time to help you, so you don't feel alone or stressed,” he says. This was also his experience from his internship. There has always been time to ask questions and get explanations, which has been a great learning experience.
Although everything is still new, Nikolaj believes he can stay at INVISIO for a long time. "It is a great working environment, and for me, that is the most important driving force for staying somewhere," he says.
We are proud of Nikolaj's journey toward becoming an engineer and hope that we can continue to provide a supportive workplace for him to grow even further.
