Technical Support Associate Review

I enjoyed my work placement, I was hired for a role that I have found challenging but also very enjoyable. I have gained a range of skill that will help me when I return to university, and for my next job. Overall I have enjoyed my year and I'm very glad I went to IBM.

I have worked with a range of people, and spent the year working as part of a team. The teamwork for my role is very important so I have felt valued and that I was able to integrate within the company. I have been given a lot of responsibility within my role which has made me feel valued.

When first starting the job it had a very steep learning curve, it was very challenging and could be quite difficult at times, but we we're never left on our own if we were struggling. It is easy to communicate with the managers any time we need help, and they are always happy to help whenever there is an issue.

As the job had a steep learning curve it could often get very busy on a daily basis, it can sometimes be hard to know how busy I will be form day to day because of the nature of the job. There are times where the work can seem overwhelming but in the main the workload is manageable and it keeps the job interesting.

Due to the nature of the job I was given quite a lot of responsibility as I have to deal with customers on a daily basis and they are quite often high profile customers. There are other opportunities I have had to organise team events which involves dealing with budgeting, planning and booking social events.

I have learned to motivate myself to work off my own initiative and work to deadlines. This placement has given me an opportunity to work in an office environment with strict working hours, which will help me when I return to university as I will have a stronger work ethic. My placement year has also enhanced my technical skills which will help with my degree, I have also been exposed to a lot of aspects of business that will help with future jobs.

Everyone in the office is very friendly and pleasant, it is a quiet office with not many people in it. It is quite out of the way so it can sometimes be difficult to get into work due to the location, and there isn't much choice for lunch. But at lunch if I want to go for a walk it's very peaceful around.

IBM have a very structured and organized process with how they deal with students, from the initial application form to actually starting the job role. The job is also very structured with how we are trained on the job, and I have found that filling out a placement journal has really helped to keep tack of the activities I've been doing and giving my university updates.

IBM give a lot of opportunities to do training outside of the day to day job role which is good to do on quiet days. We also have the opportunity to participate in Giveback where we can go to different locations and see different areas of the company. We have some freedom to do training and improve ourselves.

We have the opportunity to apply back to the company after we have finished the last year of our degree. If the placement year goes very well we have a higher chance of returning to the company. IBM offer a lot of different job roles in a lot of different locations that we can apply for graduate jobs.

I am part of a team of 7 students, and within the office as a whole there are only 3 other students who work in the office and they aren't often working in the office. Around the office there is not much to do socially, so there isn't much to do socially out of the office, unless we spend the day working in Southbank. So there aren't many social opportunities within the placement.

Being based in West London the cost of living is quite high and we don't get paid more for living in London so it can often be quite difficult, especially with transport. Socialising is also expensive because more of the social things to do are in central London which can be very expensive.

Since moving to West London I haven't been out much in the evenings, I find there isn't much time to go out after work because it can take a while to travel, and then at the weekend it can be very expensive. The area I have moved to near work has no Nightlife so there isn't much to do in the evenings around the area.

Outside of work I go to the gym as there is a gym in the area I moved to. Other than that I have not become aware of any other activities around the area that I can participate in after work. Commuting to and from work and having working hours of 8.30 - 5 then often I am tired after work so I wouldn't want to travel far for any activities, but there is nothing near by.