Software Engineering Intern Review

I take responsibility for a variety user requests for application enhancements and feature development. The application is built on a big data framework, which subsequently involves lots of data analysis on a large scale, using PowerBI or Tableau. When gathering requirements for new features, I meet with users to develop my understanding of what is being asked for. Working as part of a larger team across 2 time zones, I am also involved in standups that occur 2-3x per week.

I've learnt new technical skills mostly centred around data practices and big data frameworks. I've learnt to use multiple new coding languages - I hadn't even heard of them before starting. Another important technical skill I've learnt is the ability to read other people's code more accurately and critically understand the decisions others have made in writing their code a certain way. Perhaps most importantly though, I've developed my soft skills, interacting with different people and communicating effectively.

I was treated as a fully fledged engineer for my placement once I had surmounted the inital learning curve and bridged the financial knowledge gap I needed to. My role involved a requirement of understanding financial products and the differences between how they are structured and reported - something I was unaware of when I first started. This took roughly 3 months, but once I had grasped it, I was not given work that was for temporary use - I began contributing to normal business work just like any other engineer in the team.

I felt well supported and guided throughout the placement process. I had various points of contact, and although some were not as reliable as others (as is always the case in a large company - not everyone can always be perfect!), I felt that I received the attention I sought out. I was not micromanaged, but my team and manager never failed to make time for me if I asked, as well as other teams and managers.

The company culture is very collaborative and flat. You are always strongly encouraged to reach out to others to learn from them and build your own network. At times, different functions can be siloed as a result of historical management, however the importance of change is recognised. Because of the size of the bank (relatively smaller than some of the bigger banks), you have the unique opportunity to become a part of this and contribute in a much more meaningful way. You also gain greater exposure to different disciplines as a result.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement experience at Nomura. I met some fantastic people, both within my placement cohort, and people at Nomura already. My network has grown massively, so too have my skills. It has equipped me very well to tackle my final year at university and will help me make much more informed decisions about the direction I would like to take my career in for the future, both in the short and long terms.

Yes

My advice would be to focus on demonstrating soft skills - these are surprisingly much rarer than technical skills (in my opinion), and technical are much more easily taught. Also, technologies are always changing, so too are the requirements of developers/technologists. Communication however never changes and is the primary language of success. Challenging the status quo and being a champion for change is also a very positive trait to be able to demonstrate to give yourself the best chance of success.