LabVIEW development work placement Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my time working for ASM during my 13 month placement. Each day offered its own unique challenge where my ability to program was tested on a regular basis. In most of the situation my ability and speed in fault finding errors directly influenced the speed at which other engineers could carry out their own work. This can seem like a daunting task, but I personal found this one of the more enjoyable parts of the job as it required me to think on my feet and work in an efficient manner.

As a student, you would normally assume the work you complete would not really contribute to the business. This was very far from the truth! When I first joined the company, I was involved in a lot of the early design verification and validation of one the new 'Major' projects of the company. Through programming applications to assist with the testing of the prototypes, I felt extremely valued by my colleagues as in some situations I was the first point of call with any issues and in most of them I was able to solve any issues they had, allowing them to quickly return to whatever they were doing.

The support given by management/ my supervisor was all dependent on my inability to figure something out. In most situation I was left to figure it out myself which may seem wrong but personally I feel like I learned much more from this as it made me think for myself, brainstorm different solutions and ultimately act as an independent engineer, not needing constant assistance from management Obviously in some situations I was not able to do this (Mainly down to in-experience) but at least i would have tried to figure it out before requiring help by my supervisor. In situations like this my supervisor would be quick to help me out so that i could continue with the programming.

Each day usually consisted on working on applications for the test department, performing updates on existing code and just general admin regarding results files and user guides. Since one of the major projects the company had been developing, was in its early prototype stage, I was involved in the majority of the data capture and analysis, for the purpose of design verification and validation of the prototype, keeping me busy throughout my time at ASM.

My day in day out responsibilities usually consisted of either writing/testing code, managing files and performing integration tests. Since the department was small I was primarily responsible for managing the applications in-use by the test team, and problem solving any issues the team had. This also included updating laptops with the latest versions.

Throughout my placement experience, I was introduced to numerous areas of the test department, learning about the printers the company manufacturer and how to interface with them using LabVIEW. My LabVIEW skills developed exponentially as the year went on, where I was given more and more responsibilities as I became confident using the programming language.

The placement scheme was brilliantly organised, with plenty of support during the early stages of joining. The team did everything they could to make you feel welcome. In addition to the usual routine of going to work, as students we were given the chance to attend careers fairs, and in my instance assist with mock interviews for year 10 students. All of this looks excellent on your CV and should help give you that edge for future career prospects

For me, I was trained everyday I was in the office. With such a wide range of projects going on, I was always introduced to somethings new, being able to take usu full skills from each of the projects, and broaden my overall knowledge of the business and my respective department.

I was quite fortunate enough to secure a graduate job after I finished my placement year. As long as you show enthusiasm and passion towards the work you do, and the company you work for, people will recognize your contribution and you might be in with the chance of getting a job like I did!

The nightlife is surprisingly good considering it being Weymouth. The clubs arn't half bad either, but if is not quite enough, you've got Dorchester and Bournemouth not to far away

The company had its own sports and social clubs running each week. For example there was football and badminton, along with volley ball on the beach. The company also host sporting events such as five aside football along with Christmas and summer parties. In other words plenty things to do after work.