Placement Year Review at ProspectSoft Ltd

The Role

Role Description

To customise and develop integrated plug-ins and standalone add-ons to a core Customer Relationship Management system, and write analytical reports based on database queries. Also develop virtual PCs to simulate customer environments.

1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

Overall, my placement at ProspectSoft was wholly enjoyed. As with every job there were highs and lows, but the former was certainly more prevalent than the latter.

2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

At ProspectSoft, the placement students are given the same level of responsibility as those who are there on a permanent contract. There is also a very strong social bond within the company, which meant I really felt like part of the group. The only downside to this is how emotional it made finishing my placement!

3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

In my department, there was always somebody around who I could ask for help, and if I wasn't told the answer directly (which was rare), they would always be willing to spend some time with me working things through.

4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

★★★★★☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 5/10

Our time was very structured in terms that our time was 'booked' up in advance by project managers who allocated us work. If tasks weren't completed, more time was scheduled, and if they were completed early then other work was brought forward.

5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

As the Operations department, we are responsible for producing software and business reports for customers. Work was allocated difficultly with no discrimination as to who was allowed to work on what. Placement students, if the opportunity arose, also had the chance to visit customers on-site. While the responsibility could be a bit daunting for the less confident (such as myself), it was certainly a comfort to know that you were trusted.

6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

★★★★★★☆☆☆☆

Rated 6/10

The technical work that ProspectSoft do, conceptually, is certainly useful and applicable to the industry, but with regards to the specific tools and techniques - not so much. The tool-set that ProspectSoft use is relatively niche (with notable exceptions such as Visual Studio).

In terms of development, the type of development work we are asked to do transitions very easily into a good object-oriented structure, which makes it a very good starting point to brush up on your software design principles.

The Organisation

7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

While the atmosphere in the office was always very comfortable, it was traditionally quieter than other departments.

8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

ProspectSoft are very experienced with the placement scheme, having taken on many placement students over the years. The placement opens up with a month of intensive training, teaching you everything that you need to know. Beyond that, you are 'released' into your respective department, armed with all the knowledge you need to do your job.

9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

★★★★★★★★☆☆

Rated 8/10

The placement scheme, in addition to allowing you to graduate with a year's industry experience, also provides ProspectSoft with a year long interview. If you do well on your placement, and there are jobs available - there is a decent chance you will be offered a permanent position after university. This is an incredible weight off the average student's shoulders.

10. What were the perks on your work placement?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

• Company Parties/Events

11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

As mentioned above, ProspectSoft use the placement scheme as a year long interview, from which they cherry-pick the best placements to come back on a permanent basis. In addition to this, ProspectSoft also promote internally, which makes sure you always have something to work towards.

Other Information

12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

★★★★★★★★★☆

Rated 9/10

There were always event invitations whizzing through the building, from company barbecues and Mario Kart tournaments to squash and badminton matches.

13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

Stokenchurch is a small village almost in the middle of nowhere, so the majority of us lived in Oxford which is a beautiful city. Unfortunately, it is also quite expensive. The placement salary offered by ProspectSoft is very reasonable though, so providing you budget properly it's not much trouble.

14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

★★★☆☆☆☆☆☆☆

Rated 3/10

Having come from a city with a heaving night-life and working in a nightclub, I was disappointed with the bars and clubs in Oxford: they are somewhat more restrained.

15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Rated 7/10

As mentioned above, there were event invitations buzzing all over the office. Several of our department are quite sporty: there were frequent football and squash matches taking place after work.

In addition to these questions, is there any extra information you would like to leave about your experiences on your work placement that other students may be interested in?

If you're a hardcore software engineer who taught himself to code, or excessively technical to the point that most of your university course so far has just been a 'recap' of your autodidactical studies, I would not suggest that ProspectSoft is the placement for you.

While the placement is certainly a learning experience, from a development POV you won't really get to create anything interesting or technically complex. Most of the programming work is just manipulating data in a database based on business rules. If you're looking to implement a polyhedron surface-subdivision algorithm or a DSL interpreter, you will be disappointed.

For the average computing student, ProspectSoft will go a long way to teaching you about an ever-evolving industry.

Review 27/30 for ProspectSoft Ltd

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