Process Engineering - Summer Placement Review

I really enjoyed working within the team - it was a relatively young team, everyone was really nice and socialised both in and outside of work. Though my project was interesting, as it was laboratory based and in research and development, it meant that I did a lot of work without much to show for it - this is simply the nature of the field of work. I don't think that I personally am cut out for research and development because I feel more fulfilled when I can see results!

As mentioned in the previous comment, it was a very sociable office and on a personal level I felt like I was quickly accepted into the team and saw them a lot outside of work. We went to football matches together, had dinners and went to the pub together - we even went clubbing as a group a couple of times! In terms of work, my project was pretty much standalone and didn't really affect anyone else's work, so I didn't feel valued in that respect, nor did I feel unvalued.

My supervisor was pretty hands-on. He set me the project and helped me set it up in the laboratory, and, in the early stages, guided me through everything I needed to do. After that I was pretty much on my own and planned and carried out the experiments independently, though I had a weekly catch up with my supervisor. He sat next to me, so I could ask him questions at any time.

As with most workplaces, there were days when I seemed to be completely overloaded with things to do, and days where I was sat twiddling my thumbs. The work I was doing often would not work, so there were days when I was simply waiting for a chemical or piece of equipment to arrive - these were the worst. My work felt pretty low stakes and wasn't essential to any workstream, which was reflected in the amount I had to do.

As previously stated, I did the experiment plans and lab work independently. The project felt very much like my own and I was responsible for it working or failing. However, though I was technically calling the shots, the equipment itself was definitely the true master as it determined whether things worked or didn't - most usually the latter!

I learnt a lot of skills, mostly to do with laboratory work and analysis techniques. Most of chemical engineering is concerned with large pieces of equipment and unit operations and lab work takes a back seat, so those skills are unlikely to help me in my degree. But for lab work chemical engineering, which is a field in itself, the skills I've learnt are invaluable.

A really nice group of young fun people worked in my office - we would often have coffee and cake together and be generally social. However, at the desks themselves, people were generally heads-down and working and it was pretty quiet. Outside of the office was another story, though, which was great.

At no point did I feel that I had not been expected or had not had work set out for me. I was recognised and acknowledged as a part of the team and was given relevant training in my first few weeks, paid on time and given many different induction manuals and documents.

I was trained in many different pieces of software and taught many laboratory skills. I was treated very similarly to a new starter who started on the same day as me - we had to read the same documents, attend the same seminars and do the same training tests, bar only a few.

My supervisor was originally on a year long placement with astrazeneca (the company I work at) and another supervisor was originally a summer placement student. Once in the system, I think it's pretty easy to get a full time job with the company, especially as they are always looking for more chemical engineers.

Yes, there were 16 other summer placement students who were all very sociable (we would have lunch together, pub together, go to Manchester together) and my team was also very sociable. We went to football matches, pubs, beer festivals, clubs and total wipeout sessions together. However I think my team was quite unique in that. There was also a company walking club, which was great.

Macclesfield is in the North but is quite cheap considering its altitude as it's in the middle of the poshest bit of Cheshire. There are cheap places, but generally the prices are the same as those in Manchester. The rent is cheap but because I was here for 3 months, I had to pay a premium rate.

There are many pubs all over the town, but no live music and only one nightclub - Fever. It plays cheesy music, has a light-up dancefloor but entry is free for people who are employed at AstraZeneca and have joined the discount club! Generally pretty poor though but it could be worse I suppose.

There was a walking club that would go out to the Peak District once a week - I really enjoyed this. There was also a company choir and a running club. In Macclesfield there aren't many interest clubs to join though, which is a shame as it would have been nice to do something with non-work people.