Software Engineer Review

I was given work in whatever area I found interesting and challenging. As the companies work is so diverse I was able to apply myself in the field I most enjoy whilst still being very useful to the company. The company itself is extremely interesting, the location is fantastic and the people are all brilliant.

The employees I was in contact with were all great people and very interesting to talk to. However it is a large company so obviously I did not meet more than a fraction of the people on the premises.

As well as having a line manager in with whom I was on constant communication with, Roke also offers a buddy system for its interns. I had a lot of support and guidance from my superiors so I always knew exactly what I should be doing and that I was doing it correctly, even from day one.

I was assigned a large project to do on my first day and as such every day was absolutely packed with things I had to do. I was never left bored with nothing to do, not even for a minute. This was actually a very good thing though as I was largely in complete control over the direction and pace of my own work so I was kept busy entirely of my own volition.

The project I was involved with was not largely crucial to the company however it was made very clear to me the consequences of me completing the work and the future work that it would open up for the company. So directly it was seemingly not particularly important but indirectly it was actually a very important piece of work.

It is almost beyond words how much I have learned about my field of work, the industry and whole areas of study in computer science which was previously a mystery to me. I have developed a passion for a topic i was previously oblivious to; become involved in a large open source project; decided upon a fantastic 3rd year project (with help from the company) & broadened my recreational programing to include a whole new platform.

Very focused and busy; but otherwise lighthearted and friendly

They immediately knew exactly what each intern should be doing and most people in the company knew we were joining for the summer period. The whole process was very smooth.

They specifially put me on a project which they knew I had no previous experience in but had expressed a desire to learn about. It was beneficial to them because it was work they needed doing but they chose to take me out of my area of comfort and present me with many challenges and things to learn which I had to learn on the job. From their point of view it would have massively inhibited my productivity but for me it was great being given a chance to learn something new. It was clear that although they wanted work done for the company, that it was important (arguably more so for me than the company) that I benefit from my time at Roke

They have a fantastic graduate scheme which seems very rewarding which I shall be applying for.

Everyone got along very well and we were strongly encouraged to form a social group amongst the interns and the other graduate students.

I was already living in Southampton and commuted in so this is a largely irrelevant question for me. However living in Southampton and travel to Romsey was very reasonable.

Southampton has a significant student contingent and as such is a very social place to live.

The company offers many social and sports clubs, however I was not working there long enough to really get involved.