Multimedia Specialist Review

I really enjoyed my year at IBM. It was a great chance to see the 'behind the scenes' workings of providing technology services to some of the biggest companies in the world. IBM provides many learning opportunities, events and experiences to get involved with that help you grow professionally. It is a perfect company if you have an interest in both business and technology, and like finding solutions to problems.

I was really lucky to get on very well with my immediate team. I quickly learned and developed areas of expertise, so always felt that I had something to offer. My role also allowed me to meet people from all over the business which meant that I could see how things worked overall.

IBM has great infrastructure for developing young professionals with help on developing skills, finding more information about the company, career help and receiving pastoral support. I was helped significantly on my job role from my colleagues around me, which meant much of my support was in an 'on the job' style which benefited me.

My job naturally had busy patches where you would have to work flat out for a couple of weeks, and quieter patches where you might not have as much to do. However, I've never felt overworked and feel I am usually able to control the amount of work I take on. For my job, the hours varied as it was largely events based involving some evenings and early mornings, but I did have the benefit of being able to travel with work around the UK and Europe.

Around half way through my placement, I felt very settled and an important team player. Having areas of my own expertise really helped with this - so much so that I was given big responsibilities of managing my own client relationships, working with high-ranking executives in the company and traveling abroad to run important events on my own.

I was given a great exposure to how a large international technology company worked, seeing many parts of the business. There was plenty of skills training on offer to help you in your job role, as well as more generally as a professional. I came to this role from an unusual degree subject that wasn't hugely relevant to the job, so many of the skills I developed weren't directly applicable to my degree, but I still found it a very worthwhile experience.

I got on really well with my team which created a really nice friendly atmosphere. Even at times where there was a lot of work on, I rarely felt stressed and pressured. IBM provides great social opportunities also with various sports clubs, eateries and networking events. Some managers are happy to implement flexible working too which allows you to work from home on occasion, but can sometimes make the office very quiet.

My experience was very organized with regular 'catch-up' meetings with my manager and plenty of opportunities to learn new skills, network with other people and work in different parts of the company to learn more about the business as a whole. Most of these opportunities are optional however, so you get out of your placement year what you put in!

There was plenty of personal training workshops/classes or online learning available which is more tailored to be helping you grow as a professional. I found there wasn't too much formal training available for my job specific role however so had to use my own initiative to research how to do some things. The sheer size of the company and it's bureaucratic processes are the trickiest things to learn however, and is still something that you will learn something everyday as many processes are rarely straightforward!

IBM is a really good company to work for, and the grad scheme is one that gives real responsibilities. IBM's scale gives you a great insight into the business world and how things are done in practice, as well as giving you hands-on experience with some of the world's leading technology. The salary is very competitive and perks such as working from home and business travel are very appealing.

There are opportunities to meet and get to know other placement students early on in the year. Personally, I found difficulties in seeing other students regularly as my role involved a lot of traveling and working at several locations. Also as the year went on, less was done to hold social events. However, my colleagues in my job role were always very friendly and was able to socialise more with them.

My base location was in near Winchester but meant that I needed a car as public transport there wasn't very reliable, which proved to be my largest expense. Cost of living was fairly standard compared with the rest of the country but I did find I would eat out more than normal as I often worked in London and traveled a lot so didn't have as much time at home to cook.

Southampton is the main area for nightlife around that area, although there are a few good pubs and bars in Winchester. I personally didn't make much use of what is on offer as you might have to public transport which isn't always easy. Instead, visiting or hosting friends is usually a better bet.

There were some opportunities available for social and sports clubs. The free employee gym at my location was also very popular. I found that not much was put on socially by IBM so you were more left to your own devices to find things to do. Winchester is however a really nice city, and there is also plenty of shopping opportunities in Southampton as well as outdoors activities in the New Forest and South Downs.