Meet Steffen Meier

Reflecting on life, making new goals, getting to know another way of living. Those are just three of the things that Steffen Meier is taking time to do as he makes a three-month exchange, trading his job as a production manager for books at Carlsen Verlag in Hamburg for work as a graphic designer in Stockholm, working with the magazines Topphälsa and Allt om Resor.

Meier is making the exchange as part of the GROW program. "I wanted to use the possibility to get to know a different company and expand my professional experience in a different sector," he says Meier.

For Meier, the change of scene is a real boost and inspiration. "You have every day unforgettable impressions and get a lot of motivation," he says. "And you get all for almost free!" He also credits his colleagues and even his fellow class members in the Swedish class he is taking outside work for making his three months special. And the Swedish language is something he is taking to heart. "The biggest difference in Sweden is of course the language," he says. "When you work with text you have to understand the main content. So I often ask my colleagues or use some online dictionaries. But I really like the Swedish language. There are a lot of similarities to German." 

Which is not to say that everything is easy. "When I moved to the new apartment I couldn't figure out how the shower works," he says. "I tested a lot but had to ask my colleague the next day who sits next to me. She texted to the former GROW attendee in England and he helped me to figure out how to get the shower to work."

Meier highly recommends anyone interested to take advantage of the opportunity to switch jobs and countries: "Do it! You will learn a lot about yourself and have the pleasure to face wonderful places and people."