Software Developer Review

I'll usually have a defect to work on, so I might spend my morning working past a point I've been stuck on with my mentor before our daily scrum. Then I'll do some independent work on the task based on what I've learned in the morning, and spend the remainder of the day writing up documentation.

I've become a much more efficient programmer because of the repeated process of analysing a problem, devising a fix, testing it and then pushing it to the development stream. I've also become much better at articulating technical processes because I'll write a summary of the problem and fix as I submit a job for review. These descriptions are then published online for customers to read.

I was treated as a full member of my team right from the beginning. I worked on the same jobs as everybody else, albeit at a lower level - which makes sense considering how high the ceiling of knowledge is in my team. I was given the freedom to edit documentation on our internal wiki, which eventually led me to creating entirely new documentation aimed at helping future new starters.

IBM encouraged me to seek help whenever I needed it and for whatever reason. My Mentor helped me with my day to day tasks, my Task Manager helped me to prioritise my work & branch out into other areas of interest, and my Early Professional Development Manager supported me with everything else. The rest of my team also often went out of their way to help me and there was always somebody to speak to.

IBM deeply values it's people. There is an extremely open culture which encourages you to branch out and speak to literally anybody in the business who you'd like to speak to. This could be if you're interested in a certain technology, need careers advice or want to join another team as a grad. There is a relaxed, welcoming and jovial atmosphere in the office, which is itself a very inspiring place.

I loved my placement year thanks to the brilliant people I've met, the countless social events and the very flexible working arrangements. I felt completely supported throughout the whole year, my Task Manager was always there to support me when I needed help, the work was exciting, my cohort of interns were an absolutely fantastic bunch and the Hursley campus is a magnificent place.

Yes

IBM encourages you to be totally yourself. They are looking for genuine people with a passion for technology, so let that shine through naturally during the application process. You do not have to be an expert programmer to work at IBM - I certainly am not. If you are curious about your work and strive to get as much as you can out of working here, then the rest can be taught.