Technical Analyst Review

I had a fantastic time during my 14-month industrial placement at McDonald's Head Office. I was employed as a Software Developer / Technical Analyst, but had exposure to many different areas of the company, including: planning, testing, marketing, deployment, and restaurant solutions. I was able to utilise existing skills that I'd learnt at university and put them into practice, in real-world scenarios and projects in the workplace. I left the company having improved upon my technical skill-set (in software and application development), as well as my transferable skill-set and confidence.

The Restaurant Solutions department at McDonald's felt like a family to me. They helped my progression by involving me in new projects, assisting me with difficulties, and also in the social aspect of work (i.e. outside of work). The people in my department made coming to work a pleasure; I felt as thought I'd been part of the team for a longer period than merely 14 months.

My line manager was fantastic; any question I had, he could answer or point me in the right direction. His technological knowledge and advice were second to none; he was amazing at organising and managing the team, and very fair in all instances. Getting on with my manager was key to my development as I felt I could always learn new things by not shying away from any questions or queries I had.

Naturally, some days were busier than others. There were times of the year when new software and application roll-outs were more hectic than others, and utilisation of time-management skills and prioritisation were essential. As long as strong verbal communication was maintained, there were no problems in sharing the workload. There were no periods where I felt stressed due to too much work, and none where I was bored due to lack of work. A healthy balance was met in my opinion.

My placement role offered a varying level of responsibility; there were times when I was left alone to work on solo projects and give feedback after a given duration. There were also times when an abundance of team-working skills were required. I had a number of day-to-day, "business-as-usual" tasks to complete which were completely in my hands; they were my responsibility. As I grew in experience and confidence, I had a greater amount of responsibility and tasks to tackle.

The skills I developed at McDonald's will benefit me for the rest of my career as a developer. I utilised many innovative and modern technologies / languages which I'll be able to continue to develop during my final year modules and for my dissertation project. The soft or transferable skills will also benefit me massively in the long run when coming around to applying for another (post-graduate) job.

The atmosphere in the office was always cheerful and happy. There were always jokes flying around and interesting discussions to take part in. The open-plan nature gave the office a more inviting and welcoming vibe; almost everybody seemed to get on with each other! The office atmosphere was one of the biggest contributions to enjoying my placement year; I never had a dull day.

The placement organisation was great. There were lots of paths and avenues I could have pursued if I so desired; the great part about this placement is that the agenda was never set in stone. My voice was heard and I had influence over which projects I was involved in. My manager helped tailor all of the tasks and projects, to ensure they were relevant to my degree programme and to the goals I had for the future.

McDonald's provided ample opportunity to personal training and self-development within the workplace. This ranged from specific training courses you could enroll on, lunch-and-learn sessions to learn more about the different departments, and CAB meetings to discuss new technology for proposal to the estate. There were also personal reviews which were held quarterly with your line manager to discuss career progression and work specifics.

McDonald's extended my 12-month placement contract to 14-months. This shows that future employment within the organisation is definitely a possibility. They also offer a Post-Graduate scheme for new graduates, which looks very promising. The contacts and connections I've made within the organisation will help a great deal if I decide I'd like to re-apply again in the future (which is a definite yes...).

There were strong bonds between the placement students, the individual teams, and even at department level within the office. There was always a friendly face to chat to at the local pub / bar. Engaging in the quarterly events allowed me to meet many new people from all around the country. I've formed friends during my placement year that I'll continue to hang out with even now my contract has ended.

McDonald's Head Office is located in East Finchley. Due to the fact that East Finchley comes under a London borough, it's expected that living costs and social costs are reasonably high. It's important to mention however, it's nowhere near as expensive as other boroughs closer to the center. The prices of food and drink in the surrounding area are mostly reasonable.

East Finchley has a great deal of vintage pubs and modern pubs alike. These are fantastic to explore with friends and colleagues. There isn't much of a "clubbing" scene directly available (suitable for me!), but the center of London is easily accessible by a single tube. The East Finchley Northern Line station is located literally 30 seconds outside of the office. The food outlets on the area are fantastic!

There are four main events held quarterly at McDonald's. These are great opportunities to get involved with colleagues and interact on a more social level. There are hundreds of department specific activities going on during selected months, and always something new and exciting to get involved with! Whether that's charity work, fund-raising, or general pub visits.