Technical Solution Specialist Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my work placement. I am glad i undertook this industrial placement year as i feel i have benefited hugely from the experience and all the connections i have made as well as the networking i have done. I have more confidence in myself and i am more willing to try new things and expand my horizons as i have engaged in new and exciting projects whilst working for IBM.

I feel very valued here at IBM by my managers, colleagues and clients as i am given a real life job to do which is appreciated and valued. I am able to join management meetings and I am given feedback and praise for the work i have completed. I am also asked for my opinion and input on important decisions.

I have been given a great amount of support from my Early Professional Manager who has answered any questions i have and has resolved any issues i had. He has given me effective advice on how to progress into a future role within IBM and how to excel. I have also been kept up to date with any information that is vital and of benefit to me. My Task manager has been a great support to me as i could turn to him if there was ever a problem during my work. He helps me whenever i need any support and given me good feedback to help me grow my skills further. We have a good, friendly working relationship which is essential as i know i can enjoy my time working with the team.

Within my role there are times when i am rushed off my feet without time to have a break, but on the other hand i have days when i dont have much to do. However, on those days i develop my knowledge by doing some Think40 exercises and doing short courses to learn new things about IBM and career progression activities.

I'm given an increasing amount of responsibility within my role as my manager has given me more important and valued tasks as i progress into my role. I have taken projects upon my self to organize and take ownership of which i have completed successfully with the support of managers and colleagues.

IBM has really helped me to gain an insight into working life and especially having worked in such a large organization, i feel i have the ability to work in/take on any role/company in the future. I will be going back to complete my final year studies with a whole years experience behind me and a breadth of knowledge on current and upcoming technologies. Not to forget the confidence and determination it has given me too.

The atmosphere in the office was general quiet as many people would work from home or be actively traveling to other locations. However, the interns in the office all sit together which is ideal as we can all discuss our time within IBM and share things amongst ourselves. We also go for lunch together which is a good distraction from work.

Future prospects within IBM are very appealing to us students as there is a breadth of roles available to us and so many different career paths to go down. The IBM graduate scheme in particular has gained many awards and recognition for being the highly rated student satisfaction company for grad roles.

There are many opportunities to get involved in outside of my work at IBM. There are plenty of Giveback events for foundation students to get involved in for example running careers academies, visiting schools, running day events. There are also communities you can join for example Connecting Women and FTC in which you can have days out together and set events with guest speakers and other fun things.