Spring Week - J.P. Morgan Technology Review

I thoroughly enjoyed the week with J.P. Morgan Technology. A lot of interesting material was packed into a full-on week, but there was a large focus on keeping the week enjoyable as well, with a quiz one evening, and several opportunities to network with employees over lunch.

I could tell that a large emphasis had been placed on our enjoyment of the week, and all employees and organisers were very approachable if any issues or queries arose.

We were given a huge amount of guidance, with a well-structured timetable packed with opportunities to take on a lot of information about the firm and Technology, more specifically. Furthermore, during the two-day coding challenge, there were several supervisors available to answer any questions or give hints.

Prior to this week, I had not had a large amount of exposure to Technology other than my own pursuits, and this week gave me an invaluable opportunity to better understand the role that Technology plays in such a giant as J.P. Morgan, so that information will be very useful in helping me decide whether to pursue a career in Technology.

Very well indeed. We were given an extensive booklet on the first day, with a hugely detailed timetable outlining our schedule, as well as a huge amount of useful general information, including a jargon buster, and a history of the firm. I could tell that a huge amount of effort had been put into the coordination of the week, making the whole experience that much more informative and enjoyable.

Hugely enjoyable. The other students on the course were a lot of fun, and all the employees were very engaging. The employees were always open for queries, and I found many of them very approachable and easy to talk to.

Other than the two-day Coding Challenge, there was not as much opportunity for interactive training and development as I have seen on other schemes, where sometimes a lot of time was put in to organising training simulations and challenges.

The week was extremely helpful in giving a detailed impression of the workings of the Technology side of the firm. We had several in-depth presentations on all of the sub-departments, as well as lengthy periods of work shadowing that allowed to observe a day in the life of an employee in a particular role, as well as ask them specific questions about their role and how they enjoyed working for the firm. I found these sessions particularly helpful in shedding more light on what it would be like to work in Technology at J.P. Morgan.

There was a detailed presentation at the beginning of the week, which all of the students from all the different departments attended, which explained effectively the ethos of the firm and the code of conduct that it followed. Furthermore, throughout the week, we were reminded by employees how particular projects were completed in line with the company's beliefs.

I had my week-long Underground pass reimbursed, and all students who live outside of the M25 were provided accommodation close to the event site.

There were always employees attending lunch, which provided us with a great chance to chat informally with them about the firm and what they were working on. There were also two social evening events, which employees also attended.

The two social events mentioned above were a lot of fun. The first was hosted at a restaurant bar next to the event site, where drinks and canapes were provided. The second was a quiz, at which food and drinks were also provided. The first was a better opportunity for networking, as we were free to move around the room and chat with employees or fellow students. Since we were sat in our teams for the duration of the quiz, we couldn't chat with employees, but this was definitely a great opportunity to get to know some of the students better in a relaxed environment.

Unfortunately, very little information was given about this.

Definitely. As well as being extremely informative and great experience at a world-renowned firm, it was hugely enjoyable. It was full-on (which is to be expected), but this meant that a huge amount of useful information was packed in to the short time available. I would wholeheartedly recommend this event to anyone.