Interactive Developer Review

I have enjoyed my placement greatly, the work has been thoroughly engaging, the people and lovely and the atmosphere is very welcoming. I have grown massively, not just in my technical skills but in my soft skills - the area I most struggle in. I will miss my role greatly as I return to university.

The team at IBM values each other greatly. Feedback is very common and it felt very gratifying to be recognised by my colleagues. Every quarter we had account wide events to show off some of the fantastic work going on.

My managers were always open and approachable to ask for support. They helped me guide my aims throughout the year and answer any questions I had.

There was always a task to be getting on with. At times I was splitting my time between multiple projects, which made it difficult to keep up with each. However I did not feel stressed as the team understands that there is only so much one person can do.

I was given significant responsibility for multiple projects, becoming the lead developer on one. I was able to call the shots and make the final decisions on these projects which ended up in production facing our clients.

The skills I have learnt in this role will help to shape my future career. Before coming to IBM I wasn't sure about what section of computer science I wanted to follow but now I can see a clear path for me to continue forward as a web developer.

The office is atmosphere is always friendly. The saying 'we work hard and we play hard' comes to mind, with many after work events being planned with people from all levels of the organisation. These events were fantastic to settle into the team and meet new people in a fun and interesting way.

I had several large projects that allowed me to focus on different goals. At times it work would change suddenly and I had to adapt to a new environment and project but this is a part of being agile. The placement had many support structures available.

There were many training events put on that were available to me. The company has a program called Think40 which tries to get employees to take part in 40 hours of additional voluntary training each year. There are thousands of free online courses available that I made use of on several occasions.

I am currently in the process of applying to return as a graduate, my manager is very positive about me rejoining and I hope I get to return in a years time.

My fellow interns and graduates had a strong bond and often met for social events.

London can be an expensive city to socialize in but I did not feel it ever stopped me from participating. I don't live in the city, rather I commute in which can be a very costly expense.

There are a large number of places to go and have a great time after work.

There are many social opportunities to get involved with outside of work.