Dear student,
when I was 18 I was given an incredible chance. I got to intern 2 months at a company called Netlash in Ghent.
This company was booming at that time and I was just a guy interested in web design with no degree whatsoever.
I worked there for 2 months and learned more than I could imagine. I had 2 bosses: Dirk and Bart. Dirk taught me everything about visual design. Bart taught me about business. I learned the designer's side of web development from the developers.
After I left the internship, Bart called me with an offer to work full time for them. I was happy and did so for 4,5 years.