Software Development Engineer Review

Loved every moment of my placement. I wasn't in a role that would be my ideal career choice, but knowing this, my manager did he very best to ensure i was able to experience as many different things as possible. He did a great job of that.

My colleagues became friends I hope to keep in contact with for life. I feel like a valued member of the team and like people trust me and can rely on me.

Great support from my manager and team. Any question I asked would be answered in detail with offerings of more time to be spent on the subject. If i showed interest in a certain subject then I didn't even have to ask before people were helping me gain new skills in that area.

I found a perfect balance between tough days staying late to get everything finished on time, and days where I could take a break to go enjoy the games room and social aspects of the office or leave early if I had plans for the evening. I never went bored but never felt overworked or under-appreciated. If i put in extra hours to get something done, it was noticed.

My responsibility in my team definitely grew as the year progressed. Initially i was being trained on certain things, which months later I found myself training others on. I feel like my team had a lot of trust in me and were comfortable leaving things in my hands to take care of.

I had no idea that my placement would be so beneficial to my final year at university. I'm now confident in a subject that will be a major part of the rest of my degree, and I have learned so many skills that will help with my final year project. This year has improved my confidence and general skills that will stay with me for life.

Working in a technical team, people knew when they had to sit down and concentrate to get the job done. The team makes up for this with our very own games room, a fun theme to the meeting rooms, and plenty of social activities, from team nights out to snacks and beers while we watch the football together. It was a great atmosphere to feel comfortable in, but without being too distracting.

I had absolutely no problems or concerns from applying to the end of my year with things being disorganised for me. I even changed managers at one stage in my year as he moved away, which was dealt with fantastically.

I have been encouraged to take on any extra training or projects that I feel I can handle. Any training I have shown an interest in has been given to me, even a course over in the US! I have developed technical skills and personal skills this year and will hold onto everything I have learned for a long time.

Hoping to return after university.

The placement students in our campus became very close friends and would spend every weekend with each other. We teamed up with the students at other campuses as often as possible, and also made connections with students at other companies in the city.

Being in London, you expect things to be expensive. My biggest concern was my rent, which took a nasty proportion of my monthly salary. Luckily there's a lot of free entertainment in the city, so there was never a boring moment.

There's really something for everyone in London. Being right in the heart of the city, you can't struggle to find something that suits you.

From societies to sports clubs, to people with connections to introduce you to other people with similar interests, there's always someone interested in the same things as you.