More than a traineeship – My growth with HAMK Design Factory as an intern
Hi! My name is Kaldenecker Anka, and I moved to Finland from Hungary to study at HAMK in 2023. I’m just about to finish my 2nd year as a Smart and Sustainable Design student, and my internship at HAMK Design Factory (HAMK DF). When I came to Finland 2 years ago, I was just hungry for adventures and knowledge, but didn’t have much idea about my future. However this all changed in the past few months.
Discovering the opportunity
In January 2025 HAMK Design Factory’s Instagram post came up on my feed stating that they are ‘Looking for a trainee’ and as a 2nd year student this seemed like the perfect opportunity for my professional development, since the job description seemed really exciting and fit my interests perfectly. I started creating my portfolio for the application. The week after I had my interview, and I started my role as a Marketing trainee 2 weeks later. It all happened so quickly and at this point I didn’t know yet that I’m going to find myself and a lot of purpose in my life through this internship.
Beyond the job title – my life as a trainee in the HAMK Design Factory
When my friends ask me what it is exactly that I do at the HAMK DF, I am struggling to explain it in just a few words. What I do depends on the day, on the projects going on and a lot on who happens to find me during my work hours. My official role is Marketing Trainee however my job is way more than that.
Throughout the months I managed social media – handling Instagram. Meta Business Suite and Flickr. I did graphic designing – creating posters. Content for HAMK DF courses, stickers, PowerPoint templates and brand design for the next Product Development Product. As a photographer – documented several events, photographing content for the HAMK website, HAMK DF Instagram and Flickr, and editing these using Adobe Lightroom, organized an event – HAMK DF’s “debut” on a HAMKO event (Loppurysäys – it is the Student Union of Häme University of Applied Sciences – HAMKO’s event) with activities and different merchandise. Edited a Podcast – for the HAMK DF Podcast Series, and I helped out with other practical tasks as well. A few notable mentions are laser cutting cats, spray painting 3D printed crowns, de-wiring cables. (to recycle the copper into parts useful for prototyping) And designing and printing stickers.
Working with the HAMK Design Factory staff and Team Culture
Immediately when I started, everyone from the HAMK Design Factory was so welcoming and understanding with me! It’s an environment where I dare to ask questions and express what I want to learn thanks to my supervisor, and my other coworkers. It’s very reassuring to be checked on occasionally, discussing tasks and deadlines, and to receive feedback regularly on my work. Maybe this is the thing that taught me the most. I’m confident to say that this internship was the thing in my life which I enjoyed doing the most ‘for a living’, and I am trying my best to prove myself, and my abilities to pursue a career in the HAMK Design Factory in the future.
Memorable moments
While doing my internship at the HAMK Design Factory, I have been a part of many super interesting events and projects. My personal favorites must be the 2024-25 Product Development Project Final Gala. Then of course the Loppurysäys event where we were present with the HAMK DF and had the chance to engage with many students, and Aalto University’s PdP Final Gala where we visited to Espoo and had amazing conversations with another Design Factory’s Students. Obviously there weren’t big events like this every day. Even the days where we just worked in the Matrix (a space in the HAMK DF for working, both for staff and students), recorded a podcast episode, or printed stickers in the ProtoLab were memories I’m going to think about with a happy feeling in my heart.
Personal growth and self-discovery
I got told several times throughout my internship, that I am always so excited about a new project or about new things to learn, and this excitement hasn’t changed at all by the end of it either – working here truly got me out of feeling burnt out and feeling trapped in the place I was in life. I discovered how it feels to be a part of a team that values me. Catches up with me, gives me critiques and feedback. Makes sure I receive the right workload and reminds me to rest whenever I become slightly ‘workaholic’. I realized how much I enjoy photography, graphic design, content creation, and different aspects of designing and now I have a much clearer picture of my future, THIS is what I want to do for a life.
References:
Aalto Design Factory. (2025). MirkaSafera, PDP Gala Day. https://www.flickr.com/photos/aaltodesignfactory/54529754293/in/album-72177720326156062