Student Structural Engineer Review

My placement year with Atkins has been an amazing experience! I have had the opportunity to work on projects of variety of scales, liaise with people from different design fields and design with a wide range of structural materials. Overall, I have learnt an awful lot throughout the last year and I have had the constant support from a great team!

The year spent with Atkins, has highlighted the importance of working with a friendly and highly competent team. Throughout my time spent there, my colleagues took every opportunity to answer my questions and deepen my knowledge, no matter how busy they were at the time. Moreover, my input was always appreciated and valued. Everyone in the office made me feel like a permanent member of staff, for which I am very grateful!

Throughout my industrial placement, I was given plenty of opportunities to work alone on tasks and ideas. However, often tasks were completely new to me and so my supervisors were always there to help and guide me through my questions and problems. They were also very encouraging of my development and were always supportive on personal level too.

The majority of time I was able to work at my own pace and judge how much work I can produce during that day. However, deadlines and design developments sometimes meant that work was more urgent and so the work load was more intense. I think this has been a useful overview of what it is really like to work in a design office!

Over the past year, I was set a lot of responsibilities, despite my junior level. This was brilliant, as I was able to get fully involved with projects. Having been given responsibilities also meant that I felt a level of ownership towards the projects that I worked on, which made me more passionate about achieving the final goal.

The time spent with Atkins, has taught me many invaluable lessons, which I am looking forward to taking back to university! I have been able to improve my technical skills through the projects that I have worked on. My team working and communication skills have also greatly benefited from this experience!

The atmosphere in the office was always very friendly! Everyone got along very well and there was never a boring day! The team was always happy to support and help each other during busy periods and when design issues were faced, colleagues were always there to provide a second opinion on the matter.

My desk, computer and all system log-in details were all ready in time for my arrival. From the day that I started, I had work already assigned to me and I have not had a day when I did not have something to do. I was promptly introduced to my supervisors and the members of the team that I will be working with.

The company ensured that I receive all of the adequate training for the work that I was going to be doing. The majority of the training received was in-house, which meant that it was quick and easy for me to get through the required list of training sessions. I also had the opportunity to attend the regular lunchtime development meetings held in the office.

The last year, has been great and I have really enjoyed myself! I would love to return to the office and see how the projects that I have worked on are progressing/being finalised. It would also be a great opportunity to return to a working environment after a further year of studies and see how I have improved.

I was the only placement student in the office during my year in industry; however the office consisted of people from different ages which meant that I did not feel out of place. Social events organised by our office were always fun and a great opportunity to learn more about people and their interests outside of work.

The office that I worked in was located in fairly quite area, meaning that the cost of living and socialising nearby was fairly reasonable. Sometimes, social gatherings were organised in the larger town/city close to our office. Prices there were often considerably higher; however there was a larger variety of socialising opportunities available.

During the last year I lived in the city close to the location of the Atkins office that I worked in. The city also had a large student population, which mean that there were a variety of night-life events to suit most people. However, the area near by the office was rather remote and the night-life consisted primarily of local pubs.

In the city that I lived in, there were a variety of activities that one could get involved with. They were primarily targeted at working people and so started at around 6 pm. I commuted to work using public transport, which meant that I was unable to attend some of these activities, as I would not arrive on time. The activities that I did attend were a great opportunity to meet other people with similar interests and make friend.