Technical SPY Review

I enjoyed my time at Sony very much, I was given projects to help build technical skills which can be put to use in my final year of University. I found the work I had been involved in quite interesting, it's something I would like to get involved in sometime in the future. Additionally, there was the chance to socialise with other interns during this time. Being able to work alongside people of similar age and share experiences along the way has really helped to boost the overall enjoyment of a placement at Sony.

The colleagues in my department were very friendly, however, I did not interact or work with them as much as I could have and this is something to take on board in future roles. While I enjoy the work that I do it's also important to communicate as much as you can with colleagues in your department, otherwise, you end up feeling isolated. Therefore participating in work where I can interact with colleagues more is a key aspect for future employment.

Whenever I found something difficult I would always try to highlight the problem, which I could then discuss with my Manager. I'm grateful as my Manager is able to point me in the right direction, by sitting down and helping to develop a plan, which I can use to work around the issues. In other cases, my Manager was able to refer me to other members of staff, who have relevant experience and could assist me further.

In the mornings I would have a 5-10 minute meeting with my Manager to discuss project milestones and the current status of the objectives I'd been working towards in the week. After this point, I would work on the assigned projects for the remainder of the day (switching between tasks frequently, when the priority of work changed). Overall the workload was quite high so this kept me occupied and being able to switch to different tasks helped ensure I didn't become bored easily.

Quite a large amount, as I was mainly involved in the development stages of theses projects. In addition, I had the opportunity to attend demonstrations of the project work, where I could answer any questions the clients had about the products. Furthermore, as the year went on I also began to attend meetings, where I could be directly involved in the discussions such as features to be present in the projects.

I feel my abilities developed really well in this time. In terms of technical skills and knowledge, this was the key area of growth as my work revolves around application development which I engage in on a daily basis. On the other hand interpersonal skills also improved, as I did have the opportunity to attend meetings and deliver presentations which built up confidence in areas such as oral communication.

The office has a pleasant vibe and full of friendly faces. It's quite huge and offers eating and leisure facilities so you don't always have to go into town for these activities. In addition, it is fairly quiet most of the time so noise is not an issue.

I believe the internship scheme has been set up fairly well, you get the chance to explore how business is conducted in the area you're assigned to. Although I found that knowledge gained from University did not apply to the role as much as I initially expected. Projects were handled with an incremental structure which meant that I would work on little parts at a time and there had always been tasks to get on with after each part. Moreover, there's the opportunity to take part in thy SPY Programme to get out of the office once in a while and learn more about the different areas of Sony Europe and build on your personal development.

I would not say the company has invested in myself greatly, however, they've given me the chance to gain some good experience in the technology industry. From time to time I've been able to participate in some forms of training in person and online. These were good for learning about the current matters of interest in the company, although some were quite technical so following up with the staff hosting the training sessions is a good way to understand more.

Quite appealing, in my opinion. I would definitely like to come back to Sony after University if the opportunity presented itself. The company has various business ventures so the possibility of working in a different department is nice. Overall the opportunity to come back also opens up the door to more responsibility and activeness within the organization.

Fantastic, the group of interns this year has been amazing. Everyone gets on very well and we socialise at lunch, break and frequently outside of work. I think it's a great asset to be able to work alongside those of similar age and build friendships throughout the year. Overall the other Interns have really influenced how much I've enjoyed this placement.

This can vary depending on whether you stay closer or further from the Town centre and whether you share or rent a studio apartment. Although I believe staying closer to the town is much better (e,g, better travel access). I would say the average cost of living is around £600 a month.

Very quite as Basingstoke is has no University so Students are not really attracted to the Town. However, there is some nightlife and places such as Reading, Southhampton and London are not too far away by train. In addition, there's always the choice of socialising at one of the intern's house.

For my role, this was not the case, although depending on the type of work or department you operate in this can vary. Although I was able to visit the European headquarters for business matters a couple of times and trips out to London during the SPY Programme days.