Technical Support Analyst Review

I very much enjoyed my work placement as I had not had any experience working in a large company prior to this year. The location of my offices also helped me enjoy the placement (London) as it helped me experience the city and a new culture. I was also able to explore other roles within the company which I thoroughly enjoyed.

IBM employees always strive to help and assist each other in any way possible. When at IBM I felt like I could ask any employee for anything and they would offer assistance in the best way they could. I also feel like when thinking about shadowing this is important and it makes the process a lot easier.

My core role was a very technical one which included a lot of learning and knowledge of products. I did not enjoy my core role much and felt part of the reason for that is because I was not supported enough by management or supervisors near the beginning of my work placement and throughout.

On a daily basis I would be very busy with my core role, having to speak to customers and help them with their needs, often they would have very urgent matters which would need addressed hourly. This meant that it was sometimes difficult to spend time away from my core role and concentrate on other aspects of the business.

I was given a lot of responsibility - during my placement I was speaking to customers and assisting them with their problems, being the voice of IBM to external customers, this involved a lot of trust and responsibility. Furthermore I would delegate work to my colleagues which also involved people to trust I would do that effectively.

I have developed a number of skills that will assist with my degree and future career. My work ethic has definitely improved, being in work full time everyday being tasked with different challenges is something I have not been used to and is an eye-opener to what life will be like after University.

I worked in two locations mainly, Bedfont and Southbank. Bedfont was my base location so I was there most often which is West London - this location was relatively quiet with not many client visits occurring here. Southbank I would visit around once every two weeks, is the main office in the UK for IBM and is where most client visits would take place, as a result it was usually busy here and much larger, more attractive atmosphere.

The set up was done very professionally, I had two managers - a task manager for my specific role and an EPM for assisting me with all other aspects of company life. The EPM was very approachable and was easy to relate with during my time at IBM. However I did have a few issues with my core role and how it was organised, feeling I did not get sufficient training / support.

I was able to do a certification while at IBM which is industry recognize, IBM fully funded the cost for this course which was helpful. Furthermore, throughout the year there were many talks and events held for foundation students to be a part of and to learn about a whole range of different things.

I am currently in the process of applying back to IBM, there is a specific graduate application process held for interns so it is easier to get a job within the company than someone applying externally. Within IBM there is a lot of promotional prospects and interesting roles to choose from if you are able to find one that suits your skill set.

At my core office there were 35 placement students, I was in regular contact with these students and we all were in the same boat in terms of the placement. Along with this I lived with 3 of these placement students and many others had houses close by - so socially it was very good. Furthermore there were another 150 placement students based in southbank and we would regularly get together for a night out etc.

Working in London has a lot of benefits - it is a very interesting and active city, which has a lot of activities and events during the day or a very good nightlife at night. However because it is the capital of the UK living costs were expensive. For example my rent was 500pm, and I had heard of others living closer to the center up to 800pm.

London's nightlife is exceptional, no matter what your interest in clubs, bars etc there will always be something close by. Furthermore, in London clubs often run all night and at times I have been walking out of a club and 10/11am! Furthermore, the transport system is also brilliant around London so it is very easy to travel at night (With night buses / tubes also).

In terms of getting involved with activities outside work this was almost exclusively down to you going out and interacting with the community. I played a lot of tennis at the local club at weekends which I found very interesting.