Work Experience Placement Review

I enjoyed this work experience placement at Citrix. I found that the task given to me was an appropriate challenge, and I was given support and advice by a co-worker. I did not feel stressed by my workload, and feel that I have increased my experience of writing code in a commercial environment.

Based on my understanding of the task I was set, I felt that the work I contributed was of some help to the company. The guidance provided by my line manager in order to help me understand how to accomplish the task also helped me to feel valued by the company.

I was frequently in contact with my line manager, who gave me directions on what to do next, and what resources I should use to gain an understanding of how to complete the task. This guidance still allowed me time to approach the task assigned to me at my own pace.

Prior to this work experience placement, my programming experience involved working on entire, isolated projects from start to finish. In this case, however, I was gaining experience in adding a feature to a previously existing piece of software, which also involved the use of API requests to another service in order to make the feature work. Since many software engineering roles involve working on pre-existing software, the experience gained here was invaluable.

Each day began with a briefing from my line manager. The work experience placement was comprised of 6 half days, the dates of which I arranged with my line manager. This provided me with a great deal of flexibility, to organise my work at this placement around my final semester of university.

The offices at Citrix were open-plan, with a small divider between desks. Co-workers would often visit each other's desks to discuss how best to approach a problem, and to check on my progress or if I needed help. As a result, the general atmosphere during my work experience placement appeared to be friendly, but still professional.

The insight took place over 6 days, since it was felt that this was the most amount of time that could be asked of me for an unpaid work experience placement. However, as a result, I could not say that the company was "investing" in me, though they did suggest that I apply to a role they were hiring for.

I was already aware that I wanted to work as a software engineer, or in some type of role related to security. This work experience placement showed me a potential path towards combining these two interests. Additionally, I realised that the general atmosphere of Citrix was one I would feel comfortable working in, if I were to secure a role there after graduation.

I do not recall any opportunities for networking during the work experience placement itself. However, I did get the opportunity to meet other employees across various teams within the company during the interview process, in order to determine which group I would be best-suited to working in. Additionally, I was recommended a role to apply for after graduating.

I would recommend this work experience placement to a friend, as it offered a way to gain experience in a professional environment during my course. It also did not make a negative impact on the time available to me to complete university assignments, due to the flexibility with which I could arrange working days.