Hej!!! It’s my last couple of days here in Stockholm and I am just wrapping up my internship here at Boulebar. I have already sort of processed my leaving Sweden in the next couple of days and just trying to make the most of my time that I have left here. Overall, my internship was a huge success, I will talk more in depth about it in the conclusion blog post but I wanted to note here that I am very happy with what I was able to accomplish, learn, and experience as a result of this internship.
Getting the opportunity to work abroad has obviously given me a good idea of Swedish work culture and how professionals operate in their day to day lives. As far as success is concerned, I feel like there is no one way that Swedes measure “success” in their working lives. I’ve also only worked one internship, at one company so the answer will definitely vary from person to person and company to company. One thing I can say for sure when generally discussing Swedish workplace culture is that the work life balance in Sweden is absolutely in check, people here get their work done so that their lives can exist outside of work. People can go out to a restaurant and sit and have a drink with their friends any evening of the week. There is little stress about working long extensive hours at a job sitting in front of a computer, nobody does that here. I feel like even if success isn’t measured through a persons work life balance on paper it’s one way that people in Sweden can be happy about with their careers. All of my colleagues (throughout different times of the summer) all took extensive 2-3 week vacations. These are little things that mean a lot to someone who works hard. I feel like were the roles reversed and I be employed full time here in Sweden a vacation break like that would make me feel successful and accomplished, that I can be sitting in Marseilles or Venice or wherever and getting paid full time salary.
The biggest thing I’ve noticed to become a successful and effective employee in Sweden is to try and stay as on task in your work as possible. I’ve discussed before about my employees strong level of focus during working hours which allows for time throughout the day for group “fika” breaks and I feel as if this is obviously a key component when becoming a successful employee here. I have been able to hone in on my work, sit there and just grind it out until I had reached a point I am satisfied with. Another important component that goes alongside that is the communication aspect. Communicating to better understand your requirements and coworkers needs is super important. I feel like success in the US is measured a much different way and a way that’s much more technical and definitive. People in the US like to boast about their accomplishments, positions, and salaries. These are things that can definitely be measured, however, they often can shade a persons actual content with their lives and work. Someone can be the CEO and have as much money as they need but is their happiness where they would like it? Are they happier than someone with a modest position, modest salary, but less stress in their work? I feel like this is the reason I like Swedish work culture so much, it’s humble, everyone here is extremely willing to help you regardless of what your title says. I’ve talked with just about every major position at my company and it didn’t really feel like I was talking to anyone special once I actually think about the conversation. Obviously I know the persons position and involuntarily look at them differently but their actions have always been consistently welcoming and willing to help and assist me here.
I only have about 48 hours left in Stockholm, and while that’s very sad and disappointing I am very grateful for my time here, I’ve gained irreplaceable experience in my mind. I thought my view of the world was decent from my previous travels but I’ve really gotten the opportunity to assimilate and become a functioning member of this country. I’ve learn the customs, a sufficient bit of the language, and explored many different parts and seen how they differ from my home base of Stockholm. I leave this internship taking with me not only the hard skills and experience I’ve learned but also the cultural influence that learning all of these skills came with.
Thank you for reading, I look forward to a more official summary of my trip in my last upcoming blog post.
