Technology Analyst Review

My placement experience at Goldman Sachs was great. I got exposure to an international company, not only to what they do but also how they do it. I was able to learn from their best principles and get an insight of the corporate world. It also broadened my skill-set significantly and it was a good opportunity to apply the knowledge acquired in my university degree.

Since the very beginning I felt like I was part of the team. I never felt inferior for being the intern and was given significant responsibilities since day 1. During the whole time I felt my team was a key support and my go-to people in case of questions. Working with my colleagues as a team was essential in order to deliver our projects successfully.

The project I undertook was a team project and therefore I had continuous guidance by both the project manager and the technical lead. Although I was the least experienced team member, I never felt that was a disadvantage. I was taught what to do in each of the steps and became independent quickly. It was great to be able to work closely with more senior team members as it allowed me to learn from them

The workload varied during the six months but overall I would say I was pretty busy. We had time constraints for the delivery of our project and therefore had to work as quick as possible. On the other hand, we always made sure we had a good balance. We'd take regular lunch breaks or head to the gym for a break.

I'm very satisfied with the responsibilities I was given during my placement. Although at the beginning I was working side by side with another team member, after a while I was able to take over and work by myself. At the end of my placement I handed over my work to a new team joiner, and it was nice to realize the domain I had of the project and how much I had learned in the last 6 months.

The skills acquired during my placement extend those received during my degree such as object oriented programming or databases. It was nice to be able to put into practice the theory I had been taught. During my placement, I not only developed technical skills but also personal and interpersonal skills, which can't be learned at university.

The atmosphere in the office was good to work at. Overall people are very smart and interesting and therefore it is a pleasure to work with them and learn from them. I found it surprising how people were always willing to help me and teach me the things I didn't know. There was also a good balance of work and fun, I was in a quite young team and that made, in my opinion, work more fun and dynamic.

The Human Resources division of the firm put a lot of effort in setting up my placement and I feel like everything was well organised and ran smoothly. The work loads I was given were exponential, meaning that I had less work at the beginning to get adjusted and learn about the role and the company and once I had a better understanding and was able to do a bigger contribution the amount of work I was given increased.

The personal training and development invested by the company during my placement was extraordinary. I had the chance to sign up to any course that I found relevant for the undertaking of my project and all costs were covered by the firm. I found that surprising and a great value added.

After finishing my placement I was offered a job with them upon graduation. I have already signed my contract and look forward to joining them once I finish my last year of university.

The social aspect of work was constantly highlighted at Goldman Sachs. They put special care in allowing their employees to have a good work life balance and organize social events to encourage that. During my placement I took part of a 5 km race, a department BBQ and a few dinners among others.

The cost of living and socializing in the area I worked in wasn't too bad considering that it's still in London.

The nightlife in the area I worked in was pretty good. There were a few clubs nearby and a huge number of bars and pubs.

As mentioned earlier, the company put a great effort in encouraging its employees in having a good work life balance and therefore I was given many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work.