Electronics & Complex Systems Undergraduate Review

The team works in a flexible working arrangement and I saw myself coming in to the office an average of 3 to 4 days a week which is much higher than my previous rotations, and was something I enjoyed. I have continued to touch base with my home team manager with fortnightly 1-to-1 meetings as before and now have them even with my line manager on the rotation since I have found them to be quite useful. I have particularly enjoyed spending time with my colleagues in the new team since everyone is quite early in their careers themselves and I have been easily been able to integrate with them and form good friendships, we recently even went out on a weekend together and completed an escape room as a team social! My work load increased as I quickly picked up things in the team and has been higher than before, however, the work has been more enjoyable than before due to the nature of the work and the team environment which has ensured a great experience for me.

Recently, the main technical skills and software that the team works on that I have learnt and strengthened are MATLAB, Simulink, Unreal, CarMaker, JIRA, Confluence, Agile project management, Product Planning, and a bit of automotive network protocols. The action point for me from this would be to learn the right balance between giving responsibility to someone for a task and the expectation you have from them. I have to ensure I do not micro manage someone and trust them to deliver the task but also ensure that the work is complete to the right quality at the end delivery.Even though I was not able to work in a team that worked on data science, my rotation in the Driver in the Loop squad exposed me a lot to software development practices such as Version Control, CI/CD, and software such as GitLab and Matlab.

Yes, you get given the more you ask for so it depends on each person. You are treated as a permanent employee, given training by your colleagues and also assigned tasks that you have to complete on your own. Responsibilities vary with teams and work structures but you can expect to be given work.

Adequate support and guidance is given by your managers and team members, everyone is really welcoming and friendly, the more you ask for help and work you will be given it. You have regular catch-ups with your line manager and also with the Early Careers team. There are multiple early careers development trainings and workshops throughout the year. You also get fun events such as ride and drive experience events.

Company culture is great, friendly, casual, and inclusive. Prayer rooms are available. Lots of events happening every few days so there's always something new to look forward to and get involved with. No one expects you to work after 5pm and there is a good work-life balance. Some days are busier than others but no toxic culture.

Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed my placement year and have developed my personal, professional, and technical skills to a good extent. I can’t wait apply my learnings when I am back in University and then progress my career from there.

Yes

Dont be afraid to go out of your comfort zone. Actively participate in activities. The more you put yourself out there, the more you develop and attract more opportunities. There is always something going on to get yourself involved in.