Johanna Laaksonen is a materials science student at the University of Turku. She started as a summer worker at Comptek last May and now works with us part-time as a laboratory operator bringing valuable input to customer projects.
When starting her internship at Comptek Johanna’s expectation was to gain technical skills as well insight into working in a business environment. In this short interview, Johanna reflects on her experience working in the field of materials science and shares study- and career plans.
What made you apply to Comptek Solutions?
I wanted to learn how materials science is applied in a business environment. I was first drawn to Comptek’s mission and innovativeness, and I thought that that is a team as a part of which I want to get to know the industry and develop my skills.
Did the job and the tasks meet your expectations? What was the most valuable learning experience?
The task and learning opportunities here exceeded my expectations! I have been trusted to work hands-on with sample characterization from the very beginning of my internship, and now I am eagerly looking forward to my studies to gain more in-depth knowledge on the subjects I have worked with here.
Overall, it has been very rewarding and motivating to see my professional growth and connect my experiences here to the things that I had already learned at this point in my studies.
What has been the best thing about your experience with Comptek?
The best thing is now looking back and realizing the all the progress that I have made during my internship and how much I have learned. A few weeks after I started as a summer trainee, I remember thinking about all the things that I had already learned at that point and being amazed at the thought of how much I would still explore during the whole summer. And I wasn’t disappointed: gaining confidence in my technical skills, making connections between my studies and work here and realizing something new every day has been very rewarding.
What are your plans regarding your studies and possible future career?
My summer with Comptek has further confirmed that materials science is something I want to pursue, and I have gained a newfound interest specifically towards III-V semiconductor research. I’m very motivated to learn more about these subjects in my studies, too. In the future, I also want to work in an environment that facilitates growth and discovery, as I have luckily got to do here.