Control Systems Review

I loved learning about the rail industry and all the different areas that combine to make trains run. I was able to learn from many different people during my time at Siemens and each of them taught me something new. I had a comprehensive view of what everyone in the office was doing and how it was important to the rail industry.

I felt very valued by my colleagues. Everyone was so friendly and helped me settle in. The office atmosphere is very friendly and I felt like everyone got along really well. Despite only being there for a few months I felt like a valued member of the team and I would really like to go back.

My line manager was great at finding things for me to do on my placement. While there was little set structure to the work I was doing, I was generally busy and the work was varied and interesting. I knew that whenever I had a problem or needed advice I could contact anyone in the office for support.

How busy I was depended on what type of work I was doing on that particular day. If I was reading up on manuals for research on how to better understand the work I was doing then I wasn't particularly busy but I always knew I could go and ask for more work to do whenever I finished a particular task.

Due to the nature of working with trains and since people's lives are at risk if something goes wrong I couldn't take on as much responsibility as I would have liked. However I definitely wasn't just relegated to making cups of tea. I felt like I was being prepared to take on more responsibility in the future but that I wasn't being made responsible for much during the actual time I was there.

The wide variety of the skills I developed have helped so much in so many areas. I was able to see practical applications of the things I had been learning at university, as well as learn how to handle different data storage systems, use computer aided design, and discover I really wanted a career in this area.

Everyone in the office seemed to get on really well. It was a pleasure to be part of the office community. People often brought in snacks to share and I felt like I could approach anyone with a question and get a helpful reply. It was a very pleasant place to work.

I feel like my placement could have been set up better. For the first two weeks my line manager was away on leave and so I was unable to get started immediately with some of my work. However the rest of the office stepped up to teach me about their roles and guide me in being introduced to the IT system and other things I needed.

I felt so supported by Siemens. I was given every opportunity to read up on how to do things and develop the skills I'd learned. The internal website proved invaluable in terms of information and guidance on so many things, such as general signaling principles, and how to progress my career.

I feel like I really fit well with the company and would really love to be able to work for them again in the future. Due to the skills I have learned during my time on placement and my love for the industry I feel like I have a good chance of securing employment with Siemens after I leave university.

There were some events such as a company "pizza and pint" night which I did not attend but heard good things from my colleagues about. Unfortunately since I was only there for a limited time I did not have as much of an opportunity to get as involved with the social side as I would have liked.

York is much cheaper than living in the south, but more expensive than most of the north in general. Rent is decent if you can get in student houses and socializing is not too expensive if you know which places to go. As it is a university city a lot of places do a decent student discount.

I don't drink or go clubbing at all but my friends that do seem to enjoy it. The DIY music scene is very good and there are a few good pubs that really support local musicians which can make for a very good night out. During summer the nightlife isn't as exciting as all the students are gone but during term time there's plenty to do.

There's lots to do in York in general. The Jorvik center is a really nice day out, there's a rock climbing place, and there are many gardens and parks around that are good for picnics. There's a great community atmosphere and several open mic poetry or music nights that are fun and free to attend.