Undergraduate Web Developer Review

Very enjoyable. I'm always learning something new, which keeps me interested in the work I'm doing. Due to the adoption of the agile process, we're always going through new work, and meeting non-trivial problems. The social scene at work is also very active, and Cambridge is a place where there are a lot of things you can do, which are unique to the area.

I feel like I'm a fully contributing member of the team. Haven't been asked to grab coffee yet.

Everyone's always been very happy to help, and point me towards resources which would help me improve on my own skills. Every few months, there are formal feedback sessions where you can have a chat with your manager and discuss concerns, questions and so forth. However, you can arrange these meetings whenever you feel you need them.

Plenty of responsibility and always work to be done. There is an understanding that you might not have the skills required to meet some of the tasks, and flexibility is provided so I'm able to read technical texts (espc. O'Reilly books) to bring myself up to speed.

I am currently being treated as any other member of the team, despite a lot of the other team members being far above me in terms of experience. One of the positions I have taken is organising a bi-weekly showcase, which is useful for all the teams I work with, which comprises of about 100 people. I'm given complete ownership of this process, so if it goes badly or needs improvement, it's my responsibility to make changes. There's also plenty of "Giveback" opportunities, where you are able to represent IBM at careers events. You are given a brief, but the running of the stands at these events are completely down to you and your own initiative.

Whenever I needed to take time off committing to tasks to learn something new, I was given it. IBM provided me an "All you can eat" subscription to a high quality book service, which has proved invaluable. There are also in-house training materials which are specific to the role I took up. The placement community also holds a lot of events which allow you to have an incite into other areas of work. There are also opportunities if you are interested in shadowing someone completely outside your field or in a different location.

Friendly, hard working.

Extremely well organised.

Given enough time to work on personal development. Paid for me to have a subscription to an "All you can eat" online book package, worth £££.

If you impress IBM during your placement, you can be invited back for a further assessment center, and will know if you have a job by the middle of the next winter. You're not guaranteed a job, but doing the placement gives you an edge over any other graduate prospects.

No fellow placement students. I was the only placement student in Cambridge. With my colleagues, there was almost always something going on during the weekend, and an occasional curry after work.

Cambridge. I was paying £168 a week for my studio apartment, but the average is around £130 for shared accommodation. The average cost for a pint is about £3.80 - £4. Coffees are about £3. In general, luxuries are quite expensive in Cambridge.

Cambridge has a grand total of 4 clubs. One of them is a Revolution. There are numerous pubs, however Cambridge falls within the price range of London, so a night out has to be planned for if you're budgeting.

Meetup.com is a fantastic way to find things to do in your area. It kept me fairly busy. Rowing in Cambridge is also a very big thing, which is something you can easily commit a lot of time to. Gets you in great shape, and has its own great social scene.