Hardware Design Engineer Review

The internship was pretty much exactly what I wanted from it, I could definitely return to do the same thing after graduation. It's the type of work I enjoy, and this job was what I wanted to try ever since I started college. Having spent some time within the company I'm very happy, and I'm also convinced that this is what I want to do in future. The company got so many things right, I can't imagine anyone making more out of internships than I did here.

There is no difference between how I was treated compared people who worked there for longer. I thought this was probably unusual for an intern, although at the same time absolutely great - if your colleagues have the same attitude towards you as other engineers working in the office, it really encourages you to match their level of professionalism. I honestly don't think it's possible to do this any better.

Whenever I had any questions I could ask either my supervisor, the manager, or literally anyone in the office and they were more than happy to help - regardless of whether my question was technical, organizational etc. I never felt unwanted when asking for help and I never felt lost. I almost always knew what to do, and if I did not I knew whom to ask for help.

I was never bored or left with nothing to do for long periods of time, but at the same time I was never overloaded. I alway had something to do and I could progress at my own pace, spreading my work over as many days as I felt was necessary. I was never pressured into doing something quicker, and everyone seemed to be happy with both the pace and the quality of my work, so I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

Obviously as an intern you are not going to immediately end up in the centre of things - but I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing, quite the contrary, as this way there's no stress in case you get something wrong. However having said that, despite me not being in a position to break anything significant, I was doing work right within the main project of my department, which directly contributed to its development, that really helps boost your confidence and makes you feel appreciated. I think that, again, is the "sweet spot" of things.

I haven't started the new academic year, but the 3 months experience will definitely help me a lot in my studies. I've learned a lot of things which can only be learned by doing, and not by studying theory. It also reinsured me in my subject choices for next year, which can be a difficult thing to choose.

The office was open space, which is good as it encourages people to talk to each other. Within a few weeks I have made a bunch of friends around the office. The atmosphere during working hours was relaxed, I never experienced any stress or pressure while working which I thought was remarkable, considering the scope of the project I was working on.

On my first day I was presented, by my supervisor, with a few potential tasks that I will be able to perform during my internship, and then I went on to work on these. The list obviously evolved with time, but I was always in control, i. e. if I didn't like what I was doing there was always the option to start doing something else. They prioritised my satisfaction over me doing a specific task.

There hasn't been a lot of training per se, but within a month the company managed to make me a part of the team - I did in the end spend quite a lot of time learning things, as is expected from an intern, but I only learned things which were directly correlated with my tasks. This way I could gather quite a lot of knowledge on complex things within a short period of time, rather than trying bits and pieces from everywhere, and I much prefer this approach.

Very appealing. There are many people who started working there as interns, and then carried on after graduation with a full time job. I would really like to do the same, should the circumstances allow me to, as this job is really great for me and I can easily see myself working there for years to come.

There have been lunches, trips to the pub, and other events organised by the HR in order to get all the interns together. I can honestly say that I talked to most of the interns not just from my department, but also from all other departments around the company. I have made a few good friends among other placement students, so overall I'm really happy with this aspect.

I haven't lived in the area, as I already had a flat rented out in central London, however I do know that Watford is not the cheapest place on earth and cost of accommodation is significant. Commuting isn't particularly cheap either, but the train is convenient as it stops right in front of the office, quite literally. As for socialising, standard London suburb prices apply, so not very cheap - but still relatively affordable.

I am really not interested in nightlife so I can't really comment here, but the offices are in a small village so I can't imagine it being particularly great. However since most people live in London (or Watford) anyway, it's not a problem to find a good place for a pint after work on Friday.

There were a lot of activities going on, movie nights, hackathons, theatre trips, barbecues and so on - everyone can find something for them. All of it was subsidised, so tickets were usually inexpensive and there were usually a lot of tickets available for every event, so that everyone interested could go. I didn't participate in any as I usually plan my own weekends so I can't comment on how the trips actually look like.