Software Engineer Review

I have really enjoyed my placement at Nissan. I received the necessary support from the beginning and have learned so many skills I am sure I will find useful both at University next year and in a future job. I enjoyed the responsibility and the overall team spirit in the office.

I felt valued and supported from the first day. Everyone was happy to give me a hand when I had any issues and I was more than happy to help them as well. They were welcoming and inclusive from the first day and made me feel part of the team.

I was given enough support by managers and supervisors all along the placement year. I felt comfortable asking for help if I needed to. All IT and IS placements were introduced in a two week long software academy which provided the necessary guidance and knowledge for the rest of the year.

I was given a lot of responsibility after the first 6 months. My mentor left for another team and I had to support the project we had been working on together for the first half year. I managed to close the project successfully, a process that was new for me.

I definitely gained a lot of transferable skills that I know I will apply at University and in the future. I improved my communication both written and oral. I developed management skills by handling a project by myself. I also improved my note taking skills by attending numerous meetings and summarizing them into a couple of points for future reference.

The atmosphere was great everyday. Both my team and the team close to us got along so well. As I said I felt included in the team from the first day and enjoyed team lunches, birthdays and presents. Furthermore, there was always a good atmosphere in between teams, people would bring snacks and bake cakes for their birthdays.

I think HR did a great job organizing our year. We had a couple of days of induction when we started and then followed with an ISD induction before heading into the offices. It was a great opportunity to meet all the placements before starting work. A couple of other events followed during the year which were great fun.

We all got along very well and organized a lot of nights out together. It was mainly IT placements, the fact that we were all in the same offices played a big part in all of us getting along. We organized a placement xmas dinner which was great fun and a good time to celebrate before xmas shutdown.

I lived in Newcastle whilst at University so I was used to the city which was good. Living in the north is obviously cheaper, Newcastle is mainly a student city so you can find loads of deals in every restaurant and shop. Going out is also very cheap as it is targeted at students.

Newcastle is famous for its nightlife so there are plenty of bars and clubs to go out in. As I said, it's a student city so there is something going on everyday. There are a lot of other options to go out and not necessarily drink or party as well.