I did a 7-month traineeship to gain real-world experience. I worked on a variety of participation projects, showing me what it takes to manage projects, accumulate and keep up a professional network and finding a work-life balance. I noticed that this experience has strengthened me as a professional and has made social design methods inherent to my practice, allowing me to weave in the expertise area of user & society and business & entrepreneurship throughout the entire process.

Additionally, I started my own design freelancing practice, operating in the participation sector. From this, I learned what it takes to run a small business in terms of financials, communication and time management.