Assistant Developer Review

For an Assistant Developer, you will work with the development team to deliver new improvements to the product. That could be implementing new features, fixing existing bugs or testing the work of other developers. Work revolves around a three week cycle called a sprint, with two weeks of development and one week of Quality Assurance. There is very little difference in responsibilities between a placement and a permanent developer, tasks are not off-limits just because you are a placement.

I learnt skills which I don’t think are possible to learn at university. Working each day coding solutions to problems, you really gain the experience to know the technologies inside and out, the details and odd cases which all teach you a lesson you can use in the future. Furthermore, in this role you can learn a wide variety of skills, be it front-end, back-end, cloud services, databases, etc. You are given the freedom to improve your skills in these areas however you want. Or if you’re unsure on which you enjoy you could try each and perhaps find your preference.

After the initial training, you are part of the team, working on the same tasks as other permanent developers. On the most part, you are the only person to work on your assigned tasks and will write 100% of the code. Of course, you can always ask for help and guidance whenever necessary, but it is very satisfying to look at a part of the product which you developed knowing that you did that.

I received lots of support and guidance all throughout my placement, from my mentor (one is assigned to each placement), or from other members of the development team. They are always happy to help with anything you are struggling with. Each week you have a one-to-one meeting with your mentor where you can ask for any help you may need, or if not, just have a nice chat!

ProspectSoft is a very nice place to work, everyone is very friendly and supportive of each other. People are also very passionate about what they do, and passionate about the company. We are a team, and that is inspiring for us all to do our best. In terms of social opportunities, it was obviously difficult to organise much with lockdown looming at the beginning of my placement but that has picked up much more towards the end now the world is almost back to normal. Furthermore, each Friday the last half an hour of work is dedicated to relaxing with your team chatting or playing games together.

I really enjoyed my placement. I was rarely feeling unmotivated, and I feel like I have learnt a lot and gotten lots of valuable experience. It was also a great environment to work in, with the people I worked with. I felt like part of the team right from the beginning and it will be sad for my placement to end.

Yes

I think the most important aspect when applying to ProspectSoft is you must be willing to learn, and work well in a team. That doesn’t mean you need to be very outgoing, but you should be a team player so that everyone can do their best throughout the whole company. Asking a lot of questions, especially at the start of your placement is also important to ensure you understand as much as you can.