Software Development Engineer Review

My placement at Microsoft was a very enjoyable experience, both in terms of the work that I carried out and the social events that were organised for the intern community. The learning curve in the initial months was very steep, which could be difficult at times, but there was the support there to learn everything that I needed.

I felt like a real member of the team. I had the opportunity to work on real products (The code that I wrote contributed to how Cortana worked on Windows 10). I was given the same responsibilities as any other member of the team and I had to work to all the same deadlines.

In the initial months there were a series of presentations given to cover all the basic areas of the software that i would be working on and general support. After the initial 3 months, it became my responsibility to request help when I needed it, and team members were always willing to offer any support they could. I had regular 1 on 1 meetings to go over the different technologies that my projects related to. There were 4 formal feedback sessions throughout the year where my manager would go through the areas that he thought I was doing well in, and the areas that i could improve on.

I was very busy, often working more hours than stated in my contract. However, I felt that this was a reflection of the fact that I was being given real responsibility and real work to carry out. The office had flexi-time working hours, so i often worked 10-7, but this also meant that some days I would work shorter hours too.

I feel that I was given the same responsibility as any other member of the team. The code that I had access to could have cause live site issues if I had updated the code carelessly. I think that it was a case of taking on the level of responsibility that I was comfortable with. If I had been uncomfortable with the responsibility I had I could have requested help or a change in the type of work I was being given.

I have learnt so much about programming and how large scale software is developed across multi national teams. Having the opportunity to work with some of the best people in the industry, and being able to get help and advice from them was a huge learning experience, and I feel that I am now well equipped going into applying for graduate jobs.

The office had a fun atmosphere (most members of the team had nerf guns on their desks) but it was also important to completed projects to a high standard in the alloted time frame. The office was completely open plan, which made collaborating and asking other team member for help very easy. There was a kitchen area where we could help ourselves to free fizzy drinks and tea and coffee, and there was also a games room with a football table and an Xbox.

There was a university staffing team who organised an initial on boarding week and a few events throughout the year. This team was always available to offer support when it was needed. However, after joining my team I did not have any reason to reach out to them for help.

The full time employees were always willing to help and offer me support or train me on new technologies, and there were hundreds of courses available on the intranet that I had access to. It could have been helpful to some time set aside each week or month that could have been dedicated to learning.

I would love to go back to Microsoft after I graduate. However, it is worth nothing that the position that I held during my placement year (Software Development Engineer, for the Bing Search Technology team) is not available as a UK Graduate role. The Technical Grad roles offered in the UK are: Customer Service and Support; Technical Evangelist; and Associate Consultant.

Yes, There were 8 interns in the department that I worked in and usually had lunch together and often socialised after work. There were also events with all the team members, such as a casino night and picnic.

London is expensive. After rent, travel and bills I had roughly £400 left from each payslip, which was enough to socialise if was careful with my money. That said, there are a lot of interesting place in London that you would not find else where in the country.

Expensive, but there are a lot of interesting bars.

There are 101 team, which are roles that interns can take on that are completely unrelated to their job role. These allow you to be as involved as you want to be, because each 101 team requires team leaders, which have to put more hours in than other members of the team.