By Saskia Cornet
For the past six months, I’ve had the pleasure of doing a traineeship at EJR-Quartz. With my background in biomedical sciences and science communication, I certainly raised some eyebrows when I started working at this primarily space-focused company. But for me, it seemed like a perfect opportunity.
Anyone who has recently joined the job market can attest that experience rules. And as a recent graduate, I was still gravely lacking in that department. That’s why I was so thankful that EJR-Quartz decided to take a chance on me.
I joined the team as a junior social media editor, primarily working on the English language channels of the German Aerospace Centre DLR, with some smaller projects for EUMETSAT and COSPAR. From day one, I felt at home in the team, and soon, I started to get more comfortable with the tasks and the “spacey” topics.
At times, this traineeship was a bit of a ‘trial by fire’: in my third week, I was providing solo live coverage of a satellite launch, and by the fifth, I was on my way to Germany for the annual DLR social media meeting.
As an anxious recent graduate without experience, this was of course a bit stressful. But I always felt fully supported and truly appreciated by the team and management. Their feedback was nothing but constructive, and they weren’t afraid to give compliments when warranted. This made EJR-Quartz the perfect environment for me to develop my skills and figure out what I enjoy most.
Turns out… what I enjoy most is this kind of work! From mastering social media strategy and writing engaging content to learning video editing, design and subtitling, every day was a new opportunity to learn and let my creativity run wild.
Sadly, I’ll be leaving EJR-Quartz for the next step in my career, back to my biomedical roots. Looking back, I’m still incredibly grateful for the opportunity to work at EJR-Quartz. This traineeship not only allowed me to grow professionally but also gave me the confidence and skills to take on new challenges. I truly enjoyed being part of such a supportive and inspiring team, and the experience I’ve gained here has set me up perfectly for my next science communication adventure.