SAP Software Developer Trainee Review

My placement as a SAP software developer was very enjoyable with new issues being presented everyday. There was near enough always something to do or learn with team members offering guidance/advice. I found it very easy to enjoy myself with my role, looking forward to new issues or projects that were given to me.

The SAP development team were very easy to get along with and made me feel part of the team near enough instantly. Even from day one where my knowledge lacked, the team put a tremendous amount of effort into me. A few months later I was being given large projects and important bug fixes which showed that they valued me and my skills.

From day one I was given a lot of support and guidance from my management. Whilst learning the ropes at the start, I was slowly pushed and guided towards harder pieces of work. Throughout my placement I was given feedback which allowed me to develop myself as a better software developer.

At the start of my placement this very much depended on what work was available in terms of bug issues. However, after being given a mixture of project work and bug fixes, you are more able to prioritise your time. I don't believe I was ever too busy as we were quite a tight team thus issues and problems would be sorted out if there was an issue with having too much work.

For near enough all of my placement I was given a large amount of responsibility which made me feel more part of the team. These responsibilities included being put on large projects and fixing critical bugs. A specific projected relied on me finding a new solution for a specific issue we were having, showing great responsibility and feeling important to the team.

Whilst SAP development doesn't majorly correlate with what I do at university in terms of modules and languages, it has massively helped improve confidence and shown me a new way of thinking when it comes to programming. Not only that, but it's also improved my soft skills when it comes to communication with less technical members and overall debates that are useful when trying to find the best solution.

The open office at Howdens was enjoyable and allowed different teams to get to know each other. This worked well when needing a different team to do something for us or vice versa as it provided bonds between the different teams. This was vitally important for me as I gained a lot of friendships in the office.

Whilst the placement starts with a worksheet to complete to allow you to get to know the language, I believe it relies heavily on what bug fixes there are. If they are not suitable then it could be a possible issue for the placement. However, when you start to get to grip with the new language and systems, there's plenty of work/opportunities to keep you going until the end of your placement.

As being part of the SAP development team, I was partnered with another member of the team who invested a lot of their time into training/advising me. This consisted a lot for the first 3/5 months until I was fully prepared. Even throughout my placement, I was always taught new things by seniors which very much helped due to SAP being new to me.

I've been offered a job back as a Junior SAP Software Developer. This is a great opportunity to go back and work on my SAP development skills with the ability to work on new technologies such as S/4 HANA. From this I'm not sure what the progression is like after.

Whilst there was only 1 other placement student in my building, we got on well and socialised on company events or whenever we saw each other in the office. However, we were never introduced before the placement as this might have been useful for house sharing. Possibly better communication with this could improve the placements ease of finding somewhere to live/having someone to socialise with.

Cost of living in Watford is fairly expensive - renting is a lot more than where I currently study but wasn't impossible and I was never starved of money. Socialising cost wasn't too bad as their was such a large variety of places to go. Overall though, for what you get in terms of being so close to London but not paying London prices, it wasn't too bad.

Whilst Watford has a lot to offer in terms of bars, clubs and other socialising events, it is also very close to London and only takes a 10 minute train to get to Central London. This was a major positive as living costs in Watford were a lot cheaper but also you get the London lifestyle if that appeals to you.

Watford offers are a large amount of sports clubs/social activities. There's a choice of many gyms (including the subsidised gym). Although, I would say that without a car it may be difficult to get to some of these activities depending on if they're on the outskirts of Watford (neighbouring areas such as Rickmansworth).