Meet the Interns: Jakov Dragaš
In this post we present you Mr Jakov Dragaš, a young, perspective and extremely collaborative engineer of mining, whom we had the privilege to meet as an ADRIA Intern during 2019 and 2020. Jakov joined us as a student of the Faculty of Mining and Geology of the University of Belgrade and here is what we asked him in 2020. It is worth mentioning that in the meantime Jakov became a permanent employee of Coal Mine Pljevlja.
Jakov, it is great to hear from you! Tell us, how did you learn about the ADRIA Internship Programme?
I found out about the ADRIA Internship program at my faculty, through Professor Vladimir Milisavljević, whom I would like to thank. He suggested I should apply for the program and gave us basic instructions. We were a little skeptical at first, but in the end everything turned out great!
You have been awarded with the Internship two years in a row. Could you compare the experiences?
Yes, I was in the programme for two years in a row, the first year one month, and the second year for two months. The experiences are great, the programme has a great work plan so you can learn a lot, and it’s a great experience. Honestly, I'm sorry it all ended so quickly...
As an ADRA Intern, how difficult was it to adjust to the working culture in „real-life“ business organisation?
At the beginning, it was a bit unusual, but later I fit in great. The team was great and eventually I felt as if I had been there for years. This experience will help me to be more experienced in working with people in my future employment, and to fit in more easily with the team, for which I am very happy.
What would you highlight as the greatest benefit of attending the Internship?
As the biggest benefit, I would highlight the fact that the program enabled me to work as a professional without any additional pressures. That way I was able to learn more first-hand, do what I love, and find myself in it. Also, now I feel more confident about what awaits me in the future and how to approach work and collaborators.
What would be your recommendations to the Internship programme managers, supervisors and students?
I would recommend to the mentors to be tolerant of students, to guide them on the right path by teaching them to love their jobs and to be hardworking, which is what they did in my case. And to students, I would recommend not to miss their chance to participate in this programme, because it is a great experience that everyone should have, especially at the beginning of their career.
Any closing remarks?
I used the ADRIA Internship Programme to find myself professionally, get to know the profession itself and to find out what would suit me best in the future i.e., which job I could do best and with most dedication. That is why I am very grateful to the managers of this programme as now I know to what I should aim when looking for a job.
Thank you, Jakov, for your participation and this interview. Good luck!