IP Software Developer Review

I really enjoyed working with my team and for the company. And I was constantly challenged with the work that was assigned to me, this ensured that I was never bored at work. The team that I worked for was also great which helped me have a good time at work.

This has been something that surprised me a lot, once I got settled in. I was given work that involved working on the real project rather than having side projects. As a Placement student, I was considered as one of the developers and was allowed to pick what I do and be responsible for the work I do.

Throughout the placement, I have been supported well by my manager and also by my team members who have solved any issues that I came across. We were also provided guidance in terms of understanding the system and how the teams work by the management at the beginning of our placement.

Generally, the work has been really busy especially after the first month of our placement. We have been building things from scratch, replacing old software etc so every day you had something to be getting on with, and there wasn't a day where you'd barely do anything, which I found really good because I was always occupied and meant I was making the most of my time here.

The responsibility of a placement student did not differ a lot from the responsibility of another team member. We were all equally given work to do and that part of the system virtually becomes something that you are responsible for. We were also expected to provide input and contribute during meetings and discussions on critical parts of the system.

In terms of working in a work environment, it's been a huge bonus working for Cognito because the huge variety of tools used for collaboration and working together efficiently between teams is really an eye opener. And also, the wide variety of technologies they use during development and testing phase has also helped me a lot in keeping up to date with the latest technologies. And at university, there is only so much you can learn, and when you actually put it to practice, it is so different and that experience is definitely worth it.

The general atmosphere at the office was busy and lively. There is a lot of people moving around and everyone knew each other at the office so it was a generally nice atmosphere. Everyone in my team got on with each other and had a laugh but when it came to keeping our head down and getting some work done, they were up for that too!

The company has been running the placement program for a long time, so the placement program felt really organized, we were introduced to the system and the company at the start of our placement and had a couple of catch up/review sessions during our placement year which was useful in sorting out any issues we may have had.

The cost of living was a bit above average in Newbury so I rented a room in Reading which is about 35 minutes commute by car or 12-25 minutes commute by train. The cost of living was fairly acceptable in Reading and there were various activities and social events happening around in nearby places.

There were social events organised by the company or employees of the company which everyone was invited to. The biggest event was the annual Christmas party which was a really good night out with everything being paid for! There was also other activities such as GoKarting and meal outs organised by other employees.