«Life with 120 Passwords.»

“Technology and rapid development have always fascinated me. Back in fourth grade in primary school I already knew that I wanted to study IT. But at the time we didn’t even have a computer at home” says Joel Kläger, System Administrator at IGP. In summer 2022, the 19-year-old completed his four-year apprenticeship at IGP and today has fond memories of his training.

Looking Back at the Apprenticeship

It was Joel’s love of football that brought him to IGP, which at the time was the sponsor of Bergholz sports grounds in Wil. Joel always used to see the logo when he went to watch football matches. One day checked out IGP online and learned a bit about the powder-coating company. There was an apprenticeship position available in IT, so Joel applied.   

“Then everything happened very quickly” recalls Joel. “If it’s right, then it’s right. I feel very happy at IGP and that’s why I knew that I wanted to continue working here after my apprenticeship. I get on really well with my team colleagues and we even hang out together in our free time. For example, I go climbing once a week with Rapha. The team events are always fun and easy-going” says Joel. The team is also helping him with his development. During his apprenticeship he mainly answered support queries, and learned a lot in the process. He sometimes wished he could have been involved in projects or an IT test environment in the company. This feedback was noted, and Joel is now somewhat of a mentor to the new apprentice and helps him to try out the things he learned at school. Joel himself is now involved in several exciting projects and is able to contribute more in every area. He is particularly interested in IT security and is already helping out on a number of projects.  

A Fan of Many Soccer Clubs

In his free time, Joel is a massive soccer fan. He started following FC St. Gallen when he was just six years old, and can now be found in the stands at almost every match. FC St. Gallen is his first love. But he also goes to FC Wil games. For him, this is a place to meet friends and have a good time. Joel is also a member of the Swiss branch of the Borussia Möchengladbach fan club. There too, he loves the banter with the other fans and doing things as a group. “Soccer matches are full of emotion, you’re in good company and you can switch off from your day-to-day life. That’s what appeals to me.” says Joel.

120 Passwords in Private Life

Joel lives at home with his two younger siblings. His brother will be starting his electrical engineering studies next year, and his sister already knows that she would like to be a teacher. While his brother is a handyman and sometimes triggers power cuts at home, Joel is more interested in his IT tools and his own server. At home he tinkers about with all sorts of IT projects. At the moment he is working on a way to scan all of the family’s receipts so that they can be managed in an electronic archive. He can then use the appropriate tool to find the receipt in question when it’s needed. And everything is saved on the local server. Paper receipts will then disappear permanently. In this way, Joel has already simplified a number of processes at home and tested a variety of tools. And, of course, each tool has its very own secure password. Joel is using around 120 different passwords at home for the various apps.

In 2023, Joel will start his three-year engineering diploma at a technical college, and will focus on cyber security. “I’m totally into IT security and over the past few years, it has really grown in importance. I’m already looking forward to the course and to being able to apply everything I learn in my work at IGP” reveals Joel.