Systems Engineer Review

I really enjoyed working at Dyson. Everyone was very friendly and I received just the right amount of support. The work was mostly interesting and varied, and I got to work on some cool projects. The food was also very good.

I have not graduated yet, so there were some tasks that I could not do then that I might be able to do in future. However, I was provided with real project work that needed to be done to communicate things effectively between teams, and I felt valued because of this. My team were also pleased with what I had done.

My team made it clear that I could ask questions at any time, and there was no such thing as stupid questions. Later into the placement, I was required to make intelligent decisions on how to present things, rather than ask someone else. Everything was very new the first few weeks, but once I settled in, I had less questions and they were usually quick ones.

Days varied quite a lot in how busy I was. Some days, particularly the second week, I had little to do. Other days I had multiple tasks with deadlines fast approaching, though I still had enough time. When I did have nothing to do, I usually read up on the projects I was working on to improve my knowledge, and I also had a programming task that I would work on if there was little else to do, which kept me occupied.

I was partially responsible for effective communication between teams, making sure the parts of the project teams made would work with one another, I had a programming task that involved presenting data from a database clearly, and I solved some small signal related problems. I felt that all of these tasks were important, and it relieved the workload for some other members of my team.

I experienced for the first time the world of work, how communication is made in a large company, learnt a new programming language (Excel VBA), and looked at SysML and requirements for the first time. The latter two are things I am now studying on my course, so the placement was very helpful for this. But mainly, it was a great look at what a job is like.

Everyone around me was almost always busy, and I was at times too. Everyone I met was friendly, happy and helpful, and this provided a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere. There was also a very productive atmosphere, things progressed quickly, and people from all different teams met up regularly to talk about projects and progress, rather than rely solely on emails.

I think the only low point was the first two weeks or so, where there were lots of meetings to attend to introduce you to the company, not much work to do, and some waiting for IT equipment. After that however, the placement went seamlessly. There were a few events set up part way through the placement to ensure we were doing okay, and a group review at the end to find out what went well and what could be improved.

There were a variety of courses in the workplace that I could take part in, such as electrical safety and CAD design. My team, particularly my boss and a senior member, were always very helpful and didn't mind me asking them things a few times a day as I learnt how to do the job. There were also lots of presentations from people in various parts of the company to explain what they did and how. Finally, they even gave out free food every two weeks or so to all employees!

I would really like to work at Dyson after the placement. I found the days varied and often interesting, the people were all brilliant, the food was delicious, healthy and cheap, there was a degree of flexi-time, I learnt plenty of new skills, and it felt great to be a part of a few huge projects for the company. And I got a deferred graduate offer afterwards too!

I usually had lunch with the other interns, and we organised some events such as go-karting, evening meals, etc. The company also organised a few events for us. We were all invited to the company summer party, and a few meet up events took place during the placement. All the other interns were friendly and talented, and I feel I made some good friends.

I found a room to rent in a house nearby, which was a half-hour walk to the train station. The house was £450 per month, which was easily covered in the salary. At the train station, there was a free bus service at 7:15 and 8:15 that drove us to the HQ (though I think it will cost 5 to 15 pounds per week in future). I didn't do a huge amount of socializing, but a meal at one of the pubs usually cost just under £5, and the go-karting was £10 to 30 pounds per person, depending on what you chose to do.

This doesn't really apply to me, I was always home before 8pm. Though I remember the other interns went for nights out in either Bath, Bristol or Chippenham. The Dyson HQ is in Malmesbury, which doesn't have a train station, though there is a bus service for a half hour journey to Chippenham. From there you can take the train to places, so I'm sure there's plenty to do. I stayed in Chippenham while I was there.

The main one that springs to mind was the company summer party. We were all invited, and got a few food and drinks tokens to spend. So besides the travel and extra food costs it was free. There were lots of stalls to play for free, and things like a balloon ride, ponies, human-table-football, etc. Dyson HQ also has its own gym and canteen.