Erasmus+ work placement of student Gaj Jurij Florjančič in the flattest European country

Gaj Jurij Florjančič, a student of the Media Production programme – graphic design module, travelled to the Netherlands, specifically to the city of Breda, as part of the Erasmus+ programme. His work placement tasks include 3D robot modelling, animation, texture preparation and graphic presentations.

October marked the beginning of a new chapter for Gaj Jurij Florjančič – the first month of his Erasmus+ work placement in the Netherlands. Upon arrival, he was accompanied by a mixture of excitement and uncertainty, as entering a new environment represented a challenge, but also an opportunity for personal and professional growth.

The first day passed in a state of organised chaos – most of his colleagues were still on holiday, so Gaj was largely left to his own devices. The director provided him with basic equipment and instructions, and despite the initial awkwardness, the feeling of independence inspired him. He spent the first few days installing the Unity programme and learning the C# language, and he decided to use as little help from artificial intelligence as possible, as he wanted to truly understand the programming processes. Already on the second day, he began to catch the work rhythm and gradually get to know the logic of code, which instilled confidence in him.

Reflections on artificial intelligence

During his work placement, Gaj Jurij frequently encountered artificial intelligence and reflected on its impact on modern work. As a representative of a generation that has experienced the growth of artificial intelligence first-hand, he thinks about it with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he sees it as an extremely useful tool that facilitates learning and work, whilst on the other hand, he expresses concern about its impact on the future of employment in the IT industry. His feelings towards generative artificial intelligence are particularly strong, as it evokes both admiration and concern amongst designers.

Side project and progress

In the second half of October, Gaj actively joined the company's work – he obtained a work email address and began working on his first major project: a 3D presentation of a robot for an event in Germany. Working in Unity thrilled him, as he was finally creating something tangible. He successfully completed the robot model, developed a pathfinding system and integrated everything into the engine, which represented significant personal and professional progress for him.

Challenges

Despite the progress, he was struck by illness in the middle of the month, which forced him to work from home for a few days. After recovering, he returned full of energy and continued with animations, environment creation and texturing. The use of Unity's Asset Store proved to be extremely useful, as it enabled quick and efficient project building. At the end of the month, however, he began to feel the first signs of fatigue and burnout – long days of work and learning had exhausted him, so he had to consciously slow down and establish balance.

End of the month

By the end of October, Gaj had already integrated well into the work environment. He feels comfortable in the office, enjoys the flexible schedule and good team, although he still appreciates the peace during breaks. After the first month, it seems to him that the initial chaos has transformed into an orderly routine. He is learning, creating and seeking his place in the world of design and in the reality of working life. The Netherlands is becoming increasingly familiar to him, and he looks forward with optimism to what November will bring.

Source: Academia (6. 11. 2025). Fotografije: arhiv Academie.

This English summary was produced automatically from the Slovenian article and is pending editorial review. Slovenska različica