Software engineer Review

I gained valuable experience in working at the company and got to become a key member of the team. I didn’t feel like the added intern l, but just like any other member of the team. I was given important tasks and official deadlines to meet. This helped me gain experience in all areas of the business and in the department I was working. I was also introduced to the other interns which made my year much more enjoyable.

I felt extremely valued with many of them often asking me for help or guidance on their work also. I worked very closely within the team with all my colleagues in order to get the assigned work completed and ensure it was done correctly also. I gained certain areas of knowledge quickly at the company which lead many other workers to come to me for answers throughout the year. I also kept to tight deadlines and helped our team progress.

My point of contact gave me lots of guidance throughout my year and a good introduction to the entire company and our workflows. I always assigned a busy at the start of the year helping me with any other questions too. My supervisors were very nice and supportive, especially with further job progression after the year. I was not overly stressed at any point and I could always let them know if any issues with current work.

The job varied with large sections of work coming in sprints. So I would often be busy over a few weeks to get first pieces of work done and then have more time to review and respond to issues with this work in the following weeks. Overall the workload balanced out but I would often be either very busy or more relaxed. Some days would be slow giving me time to do more research or work for after my placement which was good but some days I was looking for work.

Within a few months I was being treated like every other member of the team with proper deadlines and vital pieces of work to complete to progress the entire project. I was given guidance but was left to solve problems and talk to colleagues on my own. This gave me great experience in working in a real world development environment and was extremely rewarding and enjoyable. As I wasn’t just the INTERN but a real member of the project.

The work gave me a really good insight into working in the real world and how it differs from working at university. The application of the skills I have learnt is very useful although you notice much if the learning comes from actually working and not from studying beforehand. It has helped me improve my work ethic and look more at how an entire project is delivered including documentation which will come in handy with my project back at university.

Very positive and enjoyable. The office was open and spacious with the ability to sit wherever you wanted. This helped me be bear my team and also go and ask anyone for any help. It made people much easier to work and collaborate with making the job enjoyable and less stressful. People were normally in a good mood and discussing the work making the office seem active and a nice place to work. It made it easier to get to know people also as you would sit near different people.

The start was a bit slow and disorganised. I received my offer a lot later than expected after my interview and assessment day and only got information about my start day a few days before I was due to be there which was stressful. Once starting there was a lot of it and stuff to sort out before I was able to start work. However my team was very helpful in getting me set up and giving me work to start looking at. There are also a number of introduction talks which were interesting.

I was given lots of training to start with. Also requiring travel to other sites. I also went on a number of training days throughout the year just as my colleagues also went on. These were useful and really helped my work ethic also. My manager also taught me lots about all aspects of the business too and I gained knowledge about all different departments at the company. A number of external talks were also held which I was encouraged to attend

I would love to return to the company after university. I am looking to return on a graduate scheme or even through direct entry. I really enjoyed the work I got to undertake and everyone at the company was very welcoming and helpful. I would love to return to work in the same team or in a similar department as I gained a lot of experience and would love to gain more and use it in the same working environment again.

There were around 9 other interns also in my office and we all got to know each other from the initial training days. This really helped me feel more comfortable and enjoy coming to work every day. We organised a few socials throughout the year which were very fun and ensured we were all close as we all had similar experiences at the company. Many more interns were located at other areas of the business which mean they were harder to interact with.

Cost was the same as my previous year at university and I managed to remained in the local area meaning I could socialise with many of my student friends still. The pubs were usual price and nights out were not too bad. I was used to the cost by now and new the cheapest places. Earning also allowed me to enjoy more time out and to travel further afield which is definitely a bonus for the weekends.

I still lived in a heavily student area and and so socialising was still good. With plenty of opportunities to travel out of the town to London it Birmingham if I wanted to. I could still go out with friends from work or from university as I managed to stay near all of them. The nightlife was still good although this was mainly due to being near to university still. As I lived further away from my fellow interns.

The interns made their own activities outside of work with badminton and games nights. There were a few societies at work but many were difficult to get involved with.