Mihkel Martin Kasterpalu, a student at Tartu Tamme Gymnasium, sees his future in IT. On Job Shadow Day at Stockmann, he was surprised by how diverse and impressive the IT developments are in an international retail company.
Andres Alango, Stockmann's head of finance and IT development, is a textbook example of how the retail sector offers young people every opportunity to build a career - Alango himself started 15 years ago at the same company as a customer service assistant.
"To this day, I count direct contact with the customer as the biggest advantage of my job. I love the fact that every day I can go down to the sales floor, ask customer service staff for direct feedback and, if necessary, talk with the customer myself," he says.
In retail, IT development means that various IT solutions have to support all processes - in customer service, marketing, accounting and elsewhere. And of course, all of it has to be integrated.
"The work is varied, and putting it all together into a single picture is a challenge. Retail today is also one of the fastest-developing fields, especially from a technological angle - payment solutions, loyalty programmes, mobile solutions, digital tools for customer service staff, smart fitting rooms," Alango lists. "At the same time, an important part of my job is to look several years ahead. It is always very exciting."
Watch the video to see what Mihkel Martin saw and experienced on Job Shadow Day at Stockmann.
Read more retail workers' stories and find out what kinds of job opportunities retail offers to young people: kaupmeesteliit.ee/tulekaubandusse
PHOTO: Stockmann