Industrial Placement Technology Review

by Morgan Stanley

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
    4.8
  • The Company
    4.7
  • The Culture
    4.3

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I really enjoyed my placement. It was a great opportunity which allowed me to apply what I had learned at University and gain a better understanding of how the material taught fits into a real workplace. I got to work on a wide variety of challenging projects which allowed me to improve upon my skills and knowledge I had prior to the placement. These projects also exposed me to a lot of new technologies which I had to learn in order to be able to complete my work effectively. There was also a lot of variety of activities that I could get involved with outside my working hours which enabled me to learn more about the culture of the firm and expand my personal network.

    5/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt really valued by my colleagues. They helped me to settle in to the role through sharing their knowledge on software development and gave me guidance on how I can improve my skills. In addition to my colleagues being enthusiastic to share their knowledge with me, I was also always made to feel like a part of the team. I was encouraged to share my thoughts and ideas with my colleagues and in some cases I even shared my knowledge to teach them new skills. Furthermore, there were also other activities I took part in with my colleague such as a monthly board game night which helped to build the camaraderie between the team.

    5/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • When I first joined I was given more support and guidance since I was new to working in Morgan Stanley so it was more of a necessity to help me find my bearings. As time progressed however I was given less supervision since I had learned how to work within Morgan Stanley, so the only guidance given was the information needed to get started with a task. My supervisors also always answered any questions I had about my tasks if I was unsure about anything and they would give me guidance on how I could fix a problem I was having if I was stuck.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • I was always very busy during my placement. I worked on a large variety of different projects, which each required different types of work. Whenever I finished my work on a project I would always be assigned more work. This meant that I always had something to work on and my days were kept fresh since the type of work I did and projects I worked on varied quite a bit. The balance of my workload was also good since I was able to participate in other activities across the firm, such as networking and innovation opportunities.

    5/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I was given a lot of responsibility during my placement. Across the various projects I worked on I was responsible for designing and implementing a new project from the ground up, preparing the platform that would be used to run the end user version of an application and helping the team learn how to use this platform. I also got the opportunity to work on fixing bugs for a major application within the firm that was used to support one of Morgan Stanley's core businesses: Sales and Trading.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • During my placement I learned a lot about time management through practicing software engineering techniques such as the Agile development methodology. Skills such as this will help me in managing my time effectively during the final year of my degree and even once I finish my degree. Other skills that I developed include explaining concepts and performing presentations. Since I was able to share my knowledge and explain ideas very frequently, I was able to get a better sense of how to effectively present information in a way that my audience can understand. This will prove invaluable since it is important to be able to effectively explain ideas to other people, such as during presentations at University or when discussing ideas with colleagues. In regards to aspects specific to my career, doing this placement has prepared me for what to expect when working as a software developer which will make the transition from University into the workplace easier than if I had not done the placement. Also since Morgan Stanley gave me the opportunity to work in two teams, I also got exposure to how different teams work and taught me how to effectively transition from one team to another team. This experience will prove very useful as I need to be able to learn to quickly work effectively with a new team, such as when working on group projects at university or when I enter a new team during my career.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • In the office there was an atmosphere of hard work and relaxation. Everyone was dedicated to delivering work to a high standard but it was also quite a relaxed atmosphere since everyone was very friendly and you could have conversations with other people in the office. There was also a great atmosphere of inclusion across the office due to the various networks across the firm, such as the cultural awareness network, that would often host themed networking events to help promote the firm's values.

    5/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • The placement was very well organised. I was given all of the information necessary to get started in the firm far in advanced of joining and all of the events hosted for the placement, such as intern events and presentations from teams across the firm, were all scheduled in my calendar from day one.

    5/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • The firm was heavily invested in personal training development, which ranged from training I received during my first week of joining to access to online learning resources such as Lynda, Harvard Business Review, Pluralsight, and O'Rilley. These services gave me the tools necessary to develop my skills and learn more about areas that I was interested in development.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Company Parties/Events

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    4/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I am very keen to come back since Morgan Stanley works on a lot of very interesting projects and there are a lot of extra activities, such as working with cutting edge technologies or the many volunteering events, that I would like to get involved with should I come back.

    5/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • At the start of the placement there was a great social scene as all of the placement students went out together quite often and had lunch together. As time progressed the social scene across the placement students decreased as some of them left after completing their internship. The social scene among colleagues was good as well, since we would regularly participate in social events such as a monthly board game night and attend firm hosted events such as a summer party.

    5/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I lived at home and commuted into Glasgow so I can't comment on the cost of living. The cost of socialising in places such as restaurants and bars in Glasgow is about the same as you would find in most cities.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • I worked in the Glasgow City Centre where there is a big nightlife especially along Sauchiehall Street. The underground subway also provides easy access to the West End of Glasgow which has a good selection of restaurants and bars. As someone who commuted it was difficult for me to get involved in the nightlife extensively however from the few times I have been out, it has been good.

    4/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • There were a lot of opportunities for activities outside of work such as the various networks to get involved with, the large variety of volunteering opportunities such as volunteering at a Marie Curie charity shop (which is something I got involved with during my first week at the firm), working with other colleagues to promote innovation within the firm and doing research for projects to make use of new technologies in innovative ways.

    5/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Scotland

May 2018


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