Work Experience (Technology) Review

I enjoyed the Work Experience Week in Citi, as we were able to participate in lots of group activities and we got to see some of the areas that they work in. We also got to talk to some of the placement students and people who worked in different sections, which was nice.

I felt that the company gave us a lot of attention, as we had several people who worked for the company stay with us for most of the time. A lot of workers gave us time out of their busy schedules to talk to us about their work, and some of them even helped us out for the project, which was really nice of them.

We received a great deal of support during the project work, in which we had to transfer data to a database, and then use PHP to move that into a website. We found the PHP section hard, as none of us had a lot of experience. The workers of Citi helped us to figure out how we could tackle it. They were very helpful, and I am glad that they tried to help us out, even though they didn't have to.

I think that the skills I have developed on will help me to perform presentations to a better degree. I have also developed my team working skills, which will help in later life. The information I received about the company and the technology that they use was helpful for me to have an idea if I would like to work for them at a later date. I also will look further into the technology, to see if I can use it for later projects that I may work on.

I found that the insight was well structured, as the person who was running it had a timetable that they stuck to pretty well. Each day had any workers involved arrive on time and none of the presentations went off track as far as I could tell. Overall I think the structure was good.

The atmosphere of Citi seemed to be interesting. During the group activities, the general feel of the atmosphere was fun, and the workers were enthusiastic. When I got to talk to one of the people who worked there, they seemed to really like their work. The other areas in general seemed to be calm and quiet, which is nice for an office.

We did not really get any training in terms of learning how to do tasks, as it was only a week, but our group were given a quick tutorial on PHP when we asked for help with it. They also showed us how to use the facilities that were in the building, and they told us how to use the programs that we needed to use for the project. The workers were really helpful in that aspect.

I think that the insight week gave me a quick overview on what the company does, but I think that if I had seen all of the areas of the company, and some examples of what they would do, I would understand what it would be like better. I know that it would have been hard, as the insight week was only 4 days, so for that length of time I think I got a good insight.

While I was at Citi, I did not get to experience any of the company events, as I was only there for 4 days. However while we walked through the offices, I watched some of the workers, and I think I got a good idea on the culture. We also got to talk to some of the workers face to face, and I think I learnt about the culture more there. We also received a presentation on their charity work, which was nice.

I found that if I wanted to work for Citi, I would probably need a lot of training in order to learn the code that they use in some of the areas. I also found that when some of the people from each section of the company talked about their work, I thought that I would like to work in some of the sections, such as testing or coding.

We were not paid for the week. However, we were given free lunch, which consisted of sandwiches, crisps and cans of Coke. I would have preferred it if they provided more sandwiches with chicken or ham, and less egg and tuna, as those are nasty.

During the Work Experience Week, we were able to meet many of the people who worked there, varying from heads of department, to the typical worker, to placement students. The heads seemed really nice, and the workers explained what they did well. The placement students were good to meet, as they told us what they did, and how they found their courses at University, which was good to hear. As they were closer to our age, it was probably quite good to meet them, as they would understand what we didn't know better than some of the long-term workers.

I would definitely recommend the Work Experience Week to a friend, as I really enjoyed it. It gave me a good insight into how the company worked. I thought that the company was nice, and it would be nice to work for. Going on a insight week is always good, as you get to see real people doing jobs that you may want to do in the future, and it may influence your idea of what jobs you are interested in.