Software Engineer Review

On a daily basis there are a couple meetings such as daily standup, technical sessions and meeting stakeholders. For the most part the day involves implementing solutions, using different programming languages. There is also time that can be spent for causes outside of your job role.

I have learnt how to code in new languages, the practices of writing good code and what being a software engineer involves. There is also room to improve on your soft skills such as presenting, effective communication and time management. There was a wide range of projects I worked on, some more involved than others but overall learning new skills through each, such as using new technologies like scheduling platforms or different databases.

I was given a lot of responsibility, considering my small amount of experience, but this was really useful in helping me challenge myself and grow. Some of these include leading different features, independently researching the best approaches to take and presenting findings, deciding on the structure of some solutions and being trusted to manage my own time and pick up work as required.

Throughout the placement you are surrounded by colleagues who are open to help you and offer support and guidance. You can easily arrange 1-1s with new people who will be happy to share their advice and as a whole my team really helped with settling in then teaching me new things to help me expand my knowledge, all with great patience.

The company culture as a whole is inclusive and collaborative. I felt like I fitted in well and there are different employee groups you can join that run frequent events to celebrate differences but also learn more through workshops/ meetings with speakers. The company really pushes you to be your best self through training, taking on new work and mentorship.

I thoroughly enjoyed my placement, it was a great year of growth and new opportunities. There were certainly challenges and hardships, but I navigated through them with the support of my peers. Beyond my day to day, I appreciated the socials and charity initiatives as they helped with networking and were generally fulfilling.

Yes

Be yourself. It's important to be authentic, Cisco doesn't just hire smart people they look at who you are beyond that. Show your interests and what you're passionate about beyond your subject area. However, I also think that it's important to demonstrate your skillset, you could create a portfolio of your projects or something visual that can show your work and make sure you can talk about it. If it's in your cv, expect questions. Also brush up on your coding skills as there is a technical interview.