IT Analyst Review

I have very much enjoyed my work placement with Caterpillar. Every day has been interesting and not once have I been bored. I have gained a lot of experience in the IT Field, and have put into practice things that I have learnt at University. Everyday has been a positive experience and I would recommend this placement to anyone thinking of applying.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. Not once have I felt like just a placement student running errands. I have been doing real work with real responsibility, and I am regularly given positive feedback for my work. Employees are always grateful for the help they receive from me. I have met some great people and will continue to stay in contact with them.

With the arrangement of my placement, both my team lead and supervisor are both based at a different site. However, both of them were only a phone call/email/instant message away when needed and I never felt like I couldn't contact them. I have always been encouraged to ask for help if needed. I attend daily briefings with my team lead and 1 to 1's with my supervisor every month, in which I can bring up anything on my mind (work/personal issues).

I was very busy everyday. I always had tickets to attend to, ranging from software installs to broken hardware to purchasing IT equipment. There has never been a dull moment and I have been very happy with the workload. I feel that there has just been the right level of work and the days have flown by because of it. I have had a lot of responsibility to prioritise my work in order of urgency.

I have given a lot of responsibility, much more than I anticipated. You are very much thrown in the deep end, and I am happy with that. This forces you to learn new things and come out of your comfort zone. I am the only on site desktop support member so it is very much up to me to manage my time efficiently and prioritise my work.

I have developed a variety of skills whilst on placement, both technical and personal. I feel that I have vastly improved upon my personal/professional skills, as part of this job role requires meeting and talking to new people all the time. I am able to communicate effectively with people to troubleshoot their problems. I believe all of the skills I have developed here will help me in later life, both at University and beyond.

The atmosphere was great. There were only a few of us in the IT office, but this meant that there was a mixed atmosphere which I liked. Sometimes we would have quieter times in which you could get on with work. Other times were more lively. The conversation was always very good and interesting and the people are great. I will genuinely miss my colleagues in the IT Office.

The placement was well organised. We were given contact information for the previous/current placements so that we could all get in contact beforehand. This helped us all get to know each other before we met and also ask for advice of previous placements. On my first day, everything was ready for me. My desk was ready, and all of my account/holiday/site information had been printed off ready for me. This made it very easy for me to settle in.

I received a bit of training whilst on placement but the opportunity for more was available. I took part in compulsory Caterpillar wide training in bribery/security etc. This made me feel like part of the company. I also had access to a training website in which we could access a variety of courses. Some of these are directly applicable to my course (Cisco certifications). In terms of training for the job, this was quite minimal and required a lot of on the job learning. I quite liked this as it meant being thrown in at the deep end.

Unfortunately future employment prospects within the IT sector for Caterpillar are quite rare. This is due to the current climate and is expected to pick up in a few years time. I would definitely consider working for Caterpillar in the future if they offered me a position or I saw a position available.

Yes, there was a good social scene amongst us. There was roughly a group of about 10 placements/graduates that started whilst I was there. This meant that we all got on really well and socialised a lot. I attended the Christmas dinner and dance with work and thoroughly enjoyed this. I also went on a days/nights out with work colleagues. These socials were all very enjoyable.

I can't comment on the cost of living, as I did not live in Stafford whilst working. However, the cost of food and drink in Stafford was reasonable and as you would expect.

Stafford is a fairly small town so the nightlife is fairly minimal. There are a few clubs and quite a few pubs and I had a few days out at the different pubs and enjoyed myself a lot. You can expect better nightlife in the neighbouring bigger cities.

Yes, there were quite a few opportunities to get involved with at work. I attended the Christmas dinner and dance social. I also signed up to do a cross-country run with a few team mates at work, in which we will raise money for charity. There are also other activities that I didn't get involved with like the company football team.