Software Placement Student Review

I enjoy coming to work as I seem to do something different everyday. I feel the work is interesting and I am therefore motivated to learn! My work placement allows me to explore different areas of software engineering in a supportive environment. I feel I have learnt a lot and gain valuable experience.

I have felt part of the team from day one. Our team has regular stand up meetings, team meetings and retrospective meetings where I can get support, voice my opinion and get to know what the rest of the team is up to. I am trusted to complete tasks and work independently.

I have been surprised by the amount of support my team have given to me. I can ask anyone a question at any time and be given support and direction. We have been given access to online training videos on Pluralsight as well as time for our team to take a few hours out each Friday to train either with team members or individually, following a course or activity. Other team's also do one off courses to explain particular topics related to company software. The support and guidance has been excellent.

I always have a task assigned to me. The team I am in can work on a number of different projects so there is always something to keep me busy!

I began working on tasks that were quite small to introduce me to the software which was ideal for me due to my experience! Since then, I have been trusted to work on more difficult work as well as customer tasks. I have also been trained to use the company's machinery/products so I am trusted to set up machinery to test my own code.

I have learnt a lot of information and concepts at university about software development but having the opportunity to work on real production code at ASM has enabled me to fully understand different aspects of software development and why they are carried out. I have been introduced to new ideas and approaches to development as well as having the chance to work with more experienced developers that has allowed me to improve the quality of my code and be more confident in writing new code!

The atmosphere of the office is chilled and motivated. Everyone is friendly. They are willing to answer questions and happy to help you if need be.

I feel that my placement has been well organised from the beginning. For example, due to how the placements at the company are arranged, it meant my first month was also the previous placements student’s last month so I was given support and guidance by an experienced student, which enabled me to settle in with ease. The company have provided equipment of a good standard for me to do my work and I have received on going training and information about the company and how to use the company’s products.

I have been given access to Pluralsight courses to improve my skills as well as dedicated time to use this resource, for 3 hours on a Friday . We are given time to take part in training workshops and technical talks.

I enjoy my work placement a lot, so future employment opportunities at the company are appealing. There are many people who have worked at ASM Assembly systems for a long time which shows people do enjoy working here.

The company hosts many social events around Christmas and in the summer as well as ‘team days out’ to socialize with other colleagues. There are a number of different sports and social clubs on offer to meet other people working in different areas of the business.

As mentioned the company do offer many sports and social clubs. As Weymouth is right next to the sea there are many water related activities on offer as well as different areas and restaurants/pubs to explore.