IP Software Developer Review

by Totalmobile

This review was submitted over 4 years ago, so some of the information it contains may no longer be relevant.

Rating

4.6/5
  • The Role
    5.0
  • The Company
    4.9
  • The Culture
    3.6

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?

    • During my placement in 2006, I learnt a massive amount of new skills and improved my development practices massively. Being involved in real life projects from day 1, made me understand the importance of my job within the organisation. I really enjoyed my 12 months at Cognito and would recommend it to anyone for a 12 month placement.

    5/5
  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?

    • By being in a small team, it meant that I was given jobs which were needed to be completed by the team and if I did not do the work it would of been done by another developer. At no time was I given tasks to "keep me busy" and over the year I gained a lot of responsibility which allowed me to lead projects and tasks within the team.

    5/5
  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?

    • My manager was excellent, always pushing me to complete things to my best ability and letting me learn by my mistakes and to learn on the job. Infact all of the team helped me and I got continued support throughout the placement. Working within the team was a major highlight to my year.

    5/5
  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?

    • Busy, is not quite the word! IP's at Cognito are treated as full time graduate developers, therefore I needed to step up to that level. This was good as I gained real job experience and was busy every day. I dont think I sat around doing nothing at all!

    5/5
  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?

    • Over the year I gained responsibility within the team and within the business. This included being the go to man for many sections of the code and for issues and customer support for areas which were delegated to me.

    5/5
  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?

    • After working at Cognito, I based my entire final year project on the work and experience which I gained, allowed me to excel in it and gain a top mark with my projects. All the skills I learnt will be massively beneficial in all forms of work, development, or non development world. At Cognito I not only improved my technical ability but also my personal skills improved greatly

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?

    • The atmosphere in the office is great. All the developers and testers are intermingled and there is a real unity within the Tech Services team. Also the tech teams are within the same office as other departments so the interaction with those teams also is much better than if they were offsite. The social aspect of cognito is also great, we played football squash, had company events and also go out for meals and to the pub as groups from across the business.

    5/5
  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?

    • The placement is good as it is real life work, you are thrown in at the deep end and learn on the job with the help of your team mates and managers.

    5/5
  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?

    • The amount of time colleagues helped me improve and direct me show how much the company invests in placement students. Having guys who also were placement students come back showed that it is a massive benefit for the company to invest in their students so that they come back once they finish university

    5/5
  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?

    • Sports and Social Club

    Company Parties/Events

    Above 25 days holiday
    5/5
  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?

    • After my placement I went back to work at Cognito and since had 3 different jobs and promotions, definitely a worthwhile choice for me going back.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?

    • I lived with another student for the year and Cognito encourages students to live together and be sociable.

    5/5
  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?

    • Rent obviously is the main cost, but you can easily go out and live on the wage. Just house share and dont live on your own!

    2/5
  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?

    • As the company organises events and goes out in Newbury for events often it was great. Living there means you socialise far more with your colleagues and get involved with activites. Reading is only 30 mins on the train and a few times we go out there.

    4/5
  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?

    • Football on Monday, Squash on Thursdays, Badminton on Wed, if you want to be involved you can be!

    4/5
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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Computer Science, Customer Service, Information Technology, Science

South West

October 2011

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