Business Operations for Infrastructure Industries Review

I found my placement very enjoyable. Naturally, there were times when it would be very difficult but once you persevere then you can begin to enjoy it again. The work can sometimes be challenging but is often very interesting and worth some of the long hours you put into it.

I generally feel valued by my colleagues. However, each colleague will show their value in you in different ways. For example, some colleagues will express their appreciation immediately whereas others may take time before they let you know that you're actually valuable to them, but once you've figured this out it's fine.

I was given plenty of support and guidance by my managers and supervisors. Once you realise that there are no "stupid" questions, you can ask pretty much anything and everyone will be more than happy to help you out. Some managers were happy to put aside time each week for mentoring sessions which were very useful

My work was on a very ad-hoc basis, meaning that sometimes I wouldn't have very much work to do but as soon as something came up I would be required to assist. It wasn't uncommon to come in to the office with the expectation of not much work, and then having an extremely busy day.

I believe I was given plenty of responsibility during my placement. Managers felt comfortable giving me important tasks and not feeling it necessary to have to check up on me constantly to ensure it was completed, they were very trustworthy. But despite being an intern, I believe I was given a good amount of responsibility.

Over my placement year I have drastically developed a number of skills, all of which will help me out during my degree and beyond. Whether it is my communication skills, presenting or research skills, they will all come in very handy in the future. They have helped me prepare and given me the confidence in my own abilities.

The atmosphere really depended on what floor in the office you were on. For example, I worked on the second floor which was full of client executives who were always on the phone so there was always a bit of a buzz. However, the third floor is almost deadly silent as it's full of consultants hard at work.

I believe the overall set up of the placement was very well set up. We had a two day induction and then were sent off into our teams. The length of the handover period was important though, as the longer the previous interns had decided to extend their placement then the easier it became for the new people.

IBM invests a lot in personal development and training. Each employee has to complete a minimum amount of hours of training through the online training tool each year. You can acquire "badges" which are qualifications in relevant topics, and IBM ensures its employees are always up-to-date with the latest relevant learning.

Future employment prospects with IBM are very appealing. There are a lot of potential roles to go into so it can be quite difficult to decide which role suits you best, but once you have decided you can begin to speak to the right people in order to steer you in the right direction.

There was a huge social scene amongst other placement students at the beginning of the year, everyone was really excited to meet each other and thus spent a lot of time together. However, this did die down a little towards the end of the year as people got busier and more invested in their roles.

Living in London is very expensive. IBM receives discount at the surrounding bars and restaurants, and despite this everything is so expensive. However, this didn't particularly stop people from socialising and you can try to figure out cheaper ways to live as the year goes on, even if it is quite difficult.

The nightlife is great, mainly because I work in central London. Most people go out for drinks on Thursday after work and often make their way further into the city. But even outside of work, there are many places to go and enjoy yourself on a night out, whether it be with work colleagues or friends.

There are many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work, but seizing these opportunities really depends on you as a person. For example, after work I will go the gym and by the time I am finished it is usually too late to do anything else. Any outside of work activities for me would be at the weekend.