Software Developer IP Review

I really enjoyed learning new technologies and developing both my professional and technical skills. There is always new work and projects coming in, so I was never bored of doing the same work. When there isn't much work to do, we got innovation time, which is an opportunity to learn about new technologies of our choice.

My colleagues treated me like I was a full time software developer - I didn't feel like a placement student most of the time. Within a few months at the company, I was able to do the same work as everyone else in my team and they valued me and treated me as an asset to the team.

My supervisors were always there to help and support me whenever I needed it. They were always there for me to talk about anything I wanted - work related or not.

There were times where there is a big workload and a lot of things to do and work on to reach deadlines. However, there where also times where there isn't as much to do, but my manager always helped me with finding work, training or innovation time to learn something new.

I was given a lot of responsibility throughout my placement. I had the opportunity to lead a project and I have also been responsible for many implementations and bug fixes for different projects. It was a very good experience and I learnt how to manage my time better and improve my organisation skills.

I have developed many new skills that will be useful for university and beyond, such as communication, planning and organisation skills as well as really improving my problem solving skills, learning new programming languages and techniques and using a lot of new software and tools every day in my placement.

The atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed. The office is very open, so it is easy to just approach a colleague by walking up to them and talk to them when you need to. There is a lot of integration between teams, so there is a lot of talking going on all the time.

My training was set up quite well, as I was able to familiarise myself with the company's application structure and coding practices very quickly. This helped me to settle into my role well and I started doing real work within my first few weeks. My manager gave me a lot of exercises to do so I was always kept busy during my first months.

They paid for a training course I did.

The company are looking at using new and the latest technologies, so it is a very exciting future for the company and I would like to come back after I graduate, if given the opportunity. There have been quite a few previous placement students that have come back after they graduated from university.

The company arranges and invites all the employees to an annual Christmas party as well as an annual trip to Newbury Racecourse, which included a three course meal and drinks. My team sometimes went out to the pub together during lunch break too. There was also the opportunity to join a tennis club.

Newbury is an expensive place to live, especially compared to where I am used to living. The rent was £750 per month for a small flat, not including bills. It is probably best to use spareroom to find the best and cheapest places to live in Newbury. Some of the pubs are also quite expensive.

The nightlife is OK, but there are only two clubs in Newbury, so most people go to the pubs instead. However there are a lot of clubs and a lively nightlife in Reading as it is a student town, which is only a 15 to 30 minute train ride away from Newbury.

Sometimes there were opportunities outside of work.