Business Support and Development Review

My degree is computer science so when I first joined, my first priority was to get busy and get programming. They didn't disappoint, from the first week I had inherited tools, a website to manage and improve as well as great colleagues. As the placement continued, only more opportunities came my way.

I feel like I am relied upon due to the fact I am the only one who was taught how some of the tools worked from the previous intern. With that knowledge comes responsibility as well however, since you are the only one who can easily fix it so it was extra important for me to get things right. Since I am an intern, the tools you inherit won't be mission critical but since I was also on the live server to implement changes I did feel valued and trusted.

When given a task usually it was quite precise. For larger projects a set of criteria had to be met, however due to the nature of programming it isn't always quite specific enough. That's easy to solve with a call in which people are obliging to explain in more detail. In regards to support, there are some areas in which they helped but not everything and google will come to the rescue. If they did know everything they would've done it themselves? Generally the guidance and support is great if you are willing to ask questions.

At the beginning of the placement I was quite busy, just getting adjusted to the work place and items that I was responsible for. The first few things I always had something going on. After Christmas things had quietened down due to unfortunate circumstances. However, there are always opportunities to be busy. Asking another supervisor for odd jobs is always an option.

Being given a unique application that could have negative consequences on the first week, put a bit of pressure that came with the responsibility. My supervisor was very trusting and later on I had to work on the servers as well. You can imagine what it meant if something went wrong with the servers and our services went down whilst I was working on them.

I felt I had learned a lot, though not about everything I wanted to know. I learned a new programming language, PHP and brushed up on my website design skills, html , javascript, css etc. Don't be fooled that hard skills are everything though, learning how to present, how to speak and staying organised is also important. In addition, experience in waking up early for a 9-5 job will definitely improve your work ethic!

It was generally quiet, however if anyone wanted a chat or needed help we would always pipe up. This was due to the fact that most of the office work at home, things get lively on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There have been some quite interesting discussions is what I can say about it.

The internship is very structured using 3, 6 month reviews followed by a final presentation. Throughout the entire placement there is always an extensive amount of support available if you reach out for it. There are givebacks like teaching in primary schools and hackathons. Visits to universities for job fairs are also available.

IBM takes training and development seriously. In fact think40 is a requirement, where an employee must put in 40 hours of their time in their own development. There are once again there are hackathons and giveback to aid in giving employees experience in something outside their expertise. These opportunities only come if you ask.

IBM is a very large company, therefore there are lots of of sectors one can work in. There is a dedicated intern to graduate process as well to aid in future employment. Depending on performance some are fast tracked to an unconditional offer after their internship. The graduate salary is very enticing, only you will have to make the decision if the position is right for you.

Although personally I did not take much part, there was a thriving group, and weekly nights out. As I was based in Hursley, I lived in Eastleigh. If you lived in Chandler's Ford its not great. Otherwise Southampton is only 30 minutes away and still quite a lot of things to do in Eastleigh as well.

Winchester is expensive, Southampton is fine if you have a car or a lift, Chandler's Ford has nothing to do but is near the work place. I lived in Eastleigh which was balanced in terms of cheapness, and things to do. Rent was £100 a week all inclusive for me and there is an IBM minibus at Chandler's Ford which was 5 minutes via train.

The only place with an affordable, good nightlife is Southampton which was 30 minutes away. As long as you traveled in a group and split taxis costs it was fine. Winchester was also nice but prices were extortionate. Eastleigh had a pub but no great clubs, which is fine if you didn't want a intense night out.

There are many clubs IBM has hosted by IBMers themselves. Personally I would rather go home and go to the gym. However, some people did 5 a side football, ping pong and akido on site as well. Eastleigh has a few gyms and a pool. If someone was desperate for more specific things then there is sure to be activities in Southampton as well.