The office in which I work consists of multiple ‘cubes’, one for each employee respectively – in Germany, we primarily know how the typical American office looks like only from film and television.

After I’ve made good use of my first day, which I spent on the shooting range and burger-eating, my first day at work was already scheduled to be the very next Monday. Conveniently, our apartment is in close proximity to the most relevant places, so my way to work only consists in a 5-minute drive.

It goes without saying that my first day was extraordinarily exciting, and I was thrilled to put my language skills to the test and find out how my co-workers will treat me. After a few days of settling in, I got quite used to my working environment. Throughout the whole time I spent at work up to this point, my co-workers have been very helpful and accommodating. Be it topics that directly concern work, or my trips at the weekend – they always went out of their way and made time for explaining everything to me as clearly as possible. The working atmosphere and the social interaction in particular are what make my workday feel natural.

My average workday begins at 08:00 and ends at 16:00. The work schedule differs largely depending on what I have to do on the respective day. Most of the time, I’m actively involved in projects of my office branch or I’m working on small, individual projects on my own. I really like that I have a lot of freedom and open space in my work routines, including the corresponding self-initiative I am to show. I keep a good balance between organization, realization and control, so that I do not only work independently when I plan my own projects and order the materials necessary via computer, but also that I assemble the device components in the company workshop on my own. After all preparations are complete, I can also integrate my own projects into the production cycles and observe the processes to some extent. Due to this dynamic balance, my work is rich in variety and I gain insight into various aspects related to my work.

Working in the US is indeed different than working in Germany. The office in which I work consists of multiple ‘cubes’, one for each employee respectively. In Germany, we primarily know how the typical American office looks like only from film and television. Since we call each other by first name – including our superiors –, social interaction is very positive and also more relaxed than in Germany. However, I do think that the German working style is more goal-oriented and better organized.

All in all, I feel comfortable and I enjoy myself at work ...