IT Application Developer Review

I am really enjoying my placement here at this organisation. I have been given the opportunity to explore different roles within my department e.g. Project Manager, Lead Developer, Co-ordinator etc. I feel that this placement has enabled me to learn a vast variety of skills faster that what I had learnt at University. The company was also supportive with me going on training courses to further develop my knowledge on object oriented programming languages.

I settled in really well in my division and also had the opportunity to interact with colleagues from different business groups and divisions and also with customers and individuals on external sites e.g. Clitheroe, Loughborough and Bracknell. I feel very valued as an individual and my hard work has also been rewarded with STAR Bronze awards.

My line-manager was very supportive and we had monthly regular reviews to establish my growth and development. In addition, I had weekly regular reviews with my senior team member who was responsible for reviewing the project hopper, and provided support and assistance with any challenges I was presented with and to also be able to know what projects I was working on and forthcoming projects that I could also get involved with.

On a weekly basis, I had a lot of work to do but the workload was at a comfortable pace for me to work on. You are responsible for you own time-management so the extent of how busy you are depends on how hard-working you are as an individual. I felt that my placement was very rewarding in terms of keeping me busy and occupied. If there was additional time on my hands, I used this time wisely towards completing the work that was provided by my University.

I was given a lot of responsibility depending on the project work. I was responsible for the team when both my manager and senior were absent. I was lead-developer and project manager of a lot of projects that I managed. My manager had full faith and trust in my work and confidence. I had the opportunity to lead and present to large groups of people and to basically take ownership of my own work and projects.

Before I started this placement, I only had basic knowledge in programming in Java which I learned from doing a Computer Science degree from University. However, throughout the placement I have learned how to code in C#, how to create SSIS packages using Microsoft Visual Studio 2010, managing and querying databases using SQL using SQL Server Management Studio. I was given 3 weeks of intense handover training from the previous intern before he left and was also encouraged to take any courses to support my work e.g. Learning to Program in C# which lasted a week.

The general atmosphere of the office was very friendly and comfortable. I felt that I could voice and express my opinion without the fear of being judged. The colleagues are very welcoming and we had a lot of birthday, festive, Christmas and New Year’s celebrations as a team. There was also celebration held in our company site for Bonfire Night whereby there was a fireworks display and a Christmas Party.

The placement was well organised from the onset and throughout. I was given a handover booklet which I used throughout my placement and I still use it now as I still have 7 months remaining. I was given 3 weeks of training to be comfortable with the work that I do. We use Outlook to organise meetings, book meeting rooms, Skype meetings and Skype for business to communicate with employees.

The company invested relatively a decent amount of value into ensuring that my skills were of high standard and to support my development. I was enrolled on the Emerging Talent program whereby all Industrial Placement and Graduate Students have to attend workshops that support career development and had to also take part in a voluntary or STEM project at the end of the year.

The future employment prospects within the organisation are very appealing and they welcome Industrial Placement students, Graduates and Apprentices of different backgrounds and skill-level. Unfortunately there is not a Graduate role available at the moment for me to return in the IT department, but I could potentially return as a permanent contracted worker if required.

There are many Social Sport Clubs running and offered by this company including Netball, Touch Rugby, Football, Cycling and Running. There are also a lot of social parties such as Christmas Meals and Christmas Party events with a formal dinner, Team Lunches, Birthday Celebrations and weekly cakes bought in from employees in the office. Other social factors include the use of a Collaboration Lounge to unwind and meet with friends in the company as well as a subsidised canteen and Starbucks.

The cost of living is roughly £350-£550 depending on where you live. Since I was living in Reading, there is a lot of student accommodation as we have the University of Reading. Therefore, I do not think the cost of living is hugely expensive compared to how close we are from London, approximately 20 minutes to London. I would recommend living in Reading as oppose to Bracknell as Bracknell is currently a city being regenerated. In Reading, there are weekly events going on including a Winter Wonderland and German Markets for Christmas. I find living in Reading to be very social-able and eventful with a thrilling atmosphere.

The night life in the area I work is relatively non-existent. However, there are cities that surround Bracknell including Reading and London where the Nightlife is very thrilling and a lot of events take place as you can probably imaging. There are also plenty of transport links such as Bus and Trains that go from Bracknell to Reading and London, therefore transport is not an issue and neither is night life.

Outside work, there was a lot of opportunities to get involved with. Since there are 12 Industrial Placement students, we happened to do a lot of activities together as a group outside from work. Such activities ranged from Night-life, group meals, Birthday celebration, Ice-skating, cinema trips and bowling. In terms of activities organised by staff, there were opportunities for Team Lunches outside the work environment as well as Christmas Parties.