Every year, In The Pocket brings together 10 graduates to participate in our Summer Academy. During four days, they learn skills that aren’t taught at school and tackle a specific challenge for an interesting organization. As you might’ve heard, we’re joining forces with Bednet this year to find an innovative solution to help optimise the overall user experience for teachers, fellow students and the “Bednetters” themselves.
It’s the third edition of our Summer Academy - which means there are twenty alumni of our previous editions. Maybe they can convince you to enroll for this summer’s edition!
‘I was an intern at In The Pocket and was sad that my internship came to an end’, says Pauline. ‘I already heard about their Summer Academy and it seemed like the perfect way to stay involved a little bit longer. The most educational part of the Summer Academy was coming up with a concept. Conceptualization was encouraged at school, but it’s not really taught. During the Summer Academy I learned how to explain my concept in such a way that it is clear to everyone.’
Just like Pauline, Jef was first an intern at In The Pocket before he attended the Summer Academy. ‘At that time it was a new concept so I had no idea what it was about, but my fellow students were talking about it so it grabbed my attention. Because of my positive experience during my internship I decided to enroll - and I haven’t regret it a second!’
During the Summer Academy he learned from the various master classes and the Q&A with Tim Van Damme. ‘Yet there was also some time to get to know each other in the garden. I think the nice mix of students was really an added value. Summer Academy is not only for developers and designers, but also project, marketing and innovation managers added great value to the four-day design sprint.’
‘Before the Summer Academy I only had bad experiences with devising a digital product. My vision on this has completely changed during this four-day event, and I learned to look for solutions in a clear way. As a developer, I always thought within the limits of what is feasible, but if you think a little further, you often come to a much better result.’
In the same year as Jef, Thibault also participated in the Summer Academy. ‘For me it was the ideal ending to my Devine study. I had known In The Pocket for a while and wanted to see if the skills I learned at school were useful in a real life case. And it’s of course nice to spend four days in a sunny villa!
I enjoyed working with students with completely different backgrounds, which gave me extra creative insights. The Summer Academy has given me the feeling that I can tackle complex problems - the perfect way to start my career!’
Alumnus Jana confirms that the Summer Academy gave here a nice career boost. ‘For example, I learned which techniques you can use during brainstorming sessions and how you can use inclusive design in mobile applications. I was curious to work together for four days with people I didn't know, but who do share the same interests and eagerness to learn.
Not only did I enjoy the many sessions, but also the side activities. We visited a brewery and did a sport boot camp in the morning. The absolute highlight for me was the pitch on the last day. Working in team for four days, pitching your idea and winning the competition: the perfect end!’