Hardware Summer intern Review

The work was very university course related and it gives you an experience into practising what you have learnt into a real world environment. Although during my internship there was a hold upon lots of jobs causing little work at times, for some that was an issue but asking for more work from others sorted the issue.

A lot of the staff are very friendly, everyone will spare a few minutes to help with anything even if they are busy. This is witnessed by all, they are very welcoming too, which explains why a lot of people in the firm have been here for a vast amount of years.

Support and guidance is given as and when is needed, any issues with anything, they are willing to help the best they can whether that sorts the issue or it is passed on to someone else with a better expertise in the situation, it was always likely to be resolved.

A little bored at times with doing the same thing everyday (Research) and not having a lot of knowledge on the situation it can be quite overwhelming and hard to grasp with no guidance because others have other projects to work on hence I had to source other work in order for me to refresh myself when I hit abrick wall.

I was given a fair few tasks in the project I was involved in and acted independently until I needed any help. There was no shadowing hence it seemed overwhelming at times. A mixture of the both would have been good too when it was rather complex. Work like lab equipment and soldering was fun and provided a sense of responsibility when working independently.

I have been using MATLAB heavily which is a weak point for myself personally, therefore even though I was thrown partially In the deep end, a lot of staff were around to help during meetings and they improved my code and provided tips. This is helpful because I am required to use it at uni so making sense of the topic when using the software will likely becoming easier. Also soldering training was received and studying electrical engineering, this will prove useful when creating circuits.

I was in an office where my department (hardware) was not dominant and therefore I did not really socialise / talk to them because their work was not anything to do with mine.

Some other interns had to wait a while to receive projects and I also had to wait for a while to receive a log in which proved difficult in certain circumstances. Once past the first two weeks, people had settled down and worked as you would a normal employee of the firm.

The firm provided me with training on 3D printers, circuit shematic design software(xDxDesigner), Laser cutter printing, PCB routing and a whole day aside for soldering with extra help available to improve if desired at a later date. That was mandatory, there was also training online on many different topics. Also trained on Visio.

Potentially appealing with the graduate scheme great for training and being so close to home, and with a lot of rumours for more jobs to come through, it could seem really promising!

Yes, I have attended a lot of tea breaks with grads and engineers to gain knowledge and gain that social relation rather than just a working one. I have also met up with them outside of work, they are really welcoming and encouraging. I have also kept in contact and become good friends with the other summer interns / year placements, even though I am situated in a different location than them

It was normal because I lived here when growing up

One nightclub, pubs around the corner and high street down the road (Rochester) with a few bars and pubs. (Whetherspoons)

Yes, there was quiz's and usually the younger aged staff meet up regularly to go out and socialise with each other. Summer interns and work placements would also meet up when finishing on a Friday at the local pub.