"It was a great challenge from a technical point of view but also a great social experience!"

I participated in the Short Advanced Programme (SAP) "Go for a digital product" in spring 2022 with the expectations to enhance my social skills on an international level and to improve the cooperation in a multidisciplinary team. I can say in advance that these expectations were fully met. 

During the attendance weeks in Finland and Portugal, we were given a rough outline of the framework in which we were supposed to design a product and develop it into a rough prototype. This was done in a three-person team consisting of design, IT and electronics students from the participating universities. Furthermore, the time pressure created by the short time window of about 4 days from the receipt of the challenge to the presentation of the prototype was an interesting tool to test the students' workload, adaptability to new programs and electronic components and time management. 

Outside of the curriculum, the discussions among the students of different nations about their working practices and conventions gave a very good insight into how to manage international projects to improve the cooperation. As we were in Finland as well as in Portugal, we could see very well that different ways of working are often due to local conditions and different socialization. What was strong communication skills and punctuality in Finland, was the art of looking at things from different angles and the urge for aesthetics in Portugal. These are all skills that can be decisive for success in everyday working life. 

I would advise anyone who has the chance to participate in an SAP to do so, as it was not only a challenge and enrichment from a technical point of view, but also the social experiences made this program a great experience.