L2 Tools and Workload manager Review

The intern community is huge at IBM, I was able to adapt quickly being given support at every step of the away. I was given real responsibilities that had business impact making me develop my skills as a professional. There are lots of learning channels which you can do if you have low amount of work which give you the ability to learn further skills. After completing a course you obtain an IBM Badge which is industry recognizable and can be uploaded to your linkedin for employers to see.

Since I was given real work responsibilities I felt extremely valued by my manager and other colleagues. My opinion was always heard and everyone was very supportive throughout my experience. Since everyone was very supportive I felt comfortable with my team and we collaborated effectively to get the work done. I was never overlooked by anyone because of my intern status but instead I was made to feel part of the team as much as anyone else.

Since the intern community so large and you are assigned two managers. One is your task manager and the other is your placement manager. Help was always available. My Task manager helped me settle in with my team and answered any questions I had or helped me with any difficulties I faced at work. I never felt like I was troubling him and in fact he said to ask questions since my first day at work. My placement manager was also very helpful providing answers to anything regarding my placement such as how to apply back and getting in touch with other people working in different sectors of IBM.

My role was fairly simple and due to this my workload was not much. This however allowed me to explore different sectors of IBM and get involved in other projects giving me exposure to different parts of IBM and what kind of work they do. This will then help me plan my future to see what I enjoy doing the most. You can also keep busy by doing extra learning courses to obtain badges in case you don't have much work. There is always something to do.

Since I was working with the support team, my responsibility is linked directly with clients and customers. This means I was given a large responsibility to work professionally with clients since no one likes contacting support and if they do it means something is not right. I therefore need to ensure that clients are receiving the effort and help they require in order for their case to be closed. Sometimes you may find yourself in a situation where clients are not happy about their product not working correctly and the way you approach the situation can leave a positive or negative view to the customer of your company.

The skills and experience I have obtained from this 1 year has been unmatched. I have developed as a person and as a professional helping work on many skills such as people skills, time management and problem solving. All the skills I have learned or developed will surely help me to approach my final year of university very differently as I have noticed planning in advance is priority to any successful project. By implementing this in my university life I can boost my learning capabilities.

the general atmosphere was very relaxed in my office. We would often talk about football and other worldly stuff. It was a nice environment to work in because you do not want to always be working hardcore and sometimes want to be relaxed. We would often go for coffee/tea breaks just to stretch our legs and there is also a games room in our office which has an xbox and other games available for us to play.

The placement was very well setup. From the induction to the leaving time all the information was clear and well organized. There is an internal platform for you to set goals and targets throughout your year which your placement manager tracks with you. This lets you see what you have achieved and what you might need to work on helping you develop as a professional.

Since I did not need very much training based on my job role there was no need to invest much money towards my training. I managed to get a good understanding within my first week about my role. Anything which I was unclear about, I would ask questions as I went along learning at every step.

Since IBM is huge and there are many different roles available, there is something for everyone. I have also noticed many people that work there have been there for a long time since it is very easy to bounce between roles. For example you could do one role for 5 years and then move to a different role after that. IBM also has graduate schemes available which will help to develop you further and shape you into that field of work.

Since there are many interns at IBM, there was a lot of stuff going on throughout the year. There was a boat party, social events such as pubs and football and many more. Since all of us interns were in the same boat we understood each other and it made it easy to get along with people.

Since I was placed in London Southbank, the cost of living could be seen as high however luckily it is a 30 minute commute from my home so I didn't need to move out. Socializing is also expensive such as pubs however the atmosphere in london is very nice and above anywhere else.

London nightlife is amazing and there is always something to do. They have many clubs and other social activities happening all the time. If you do not want to do any of those then just simply visiting london at night on Santander bikes is also a nice thing to do.

yes there were, since IBM is very focused on work-life balance they encourage people to be socially active and not always working. This makes it easy to get involved in activities outside of work.