Communications Intern EMEA Review

Taking on an internship at CA Technologies was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I have learnt more in the past year, working in the software industry, than I have in the last couple years at Uni. There is so much happening right now in technology and it has been amazing to be a part of that journey, even if just for a year, with CA.

My team were extremely supportive and were great a giving me positive and constructive feedback on work so that I could improve. I never felt nervous asking them questions, even if they seemed silly. They always included me in meetings, brainstorming sessions and big pieces of work because they new I was keen to learn.

Every week my manager, who is a VP ( i.e very busy) at the company, made time for me and organised 1:1 meetings to run through my work in progress and check that I'm getting on okay with the workload. She made sure I was never left with nothing to do and often tasked me with work that had weekly, monthly and quarterly deadlines. (This improved my time management hugely). She also had an open door policy, meaning I was able to go into her office and speak to her whenever I had a query.

Every day I would check my work in progress document to make sure I was aware of deadlines coming up or work that needed to be completed that day. I never felt overwhelmed, and if I felt as though I was juggling too many tasks at once, I felt comfortable speaking with my manager to ask for assistance. (Although that happened rarely) My team were great at being supportive of one another during busier times.

I was given responsibility for work from Day 1. I got to write a press release, put together our internal weekly newsletter, help run our CSR events, create video content and so on... I was treated like a full -time employee - which I really appreciated. All of my work had to be reviewed and approved by my manager, and often she gave me immediate feedback.

I've definitely got better at managing my time - I hope this will help me in my final year of University when I am studying for exams whilst trying to meet coursework deadlines. I've come away with experience in event management, writing press releases, creating communication plans, social media for business, working with PR agencies, and public speaking.

The office is open plan with a big warehouse room where there are plenty of chairs, sofas and a kitchen area, for people to collaborate or take a break. Many colleagues from different departments had the ability to work from home, so often times the office felt quiet.

The internship was very organised - I was introduced to folk on day one and was encourage to set up meeting with colleagues from a range of departments to get a better understanding of what else was going on in the business.

Every quarter my manager set training for us on the Company Education portal, which allowed to get a better understanding of topics such as GDPR, The Subscription Economy and Blockchain. We also had training set by corporate that we had to complete - such as compliance training. I also completed the Unconscious Bias training, which is extremely useful and I would encourage everyone to take part in it.

I would really like to return to CA Technologies for a job one day - However, they do not offer many graduate positions in the field I'm interested in as of right now..

Yes - on numerous occasions we went for drinks after work or event a night out together on a Friday. We also went to play TopGolf together after work. A few of us also went to watch the Royal Wedding together in Windsor too..

Cost of living was expensive - but that was because we chose to live in Windsor ( our office was in Datchet) It was difficult to find a place to live that was furnished as the area is not very 'studenty' .. but our salaries meant we were able to afford rent. Cost of food, drinks out etc was pricey but that is to be expected if you live in Windsor and so close to London.

Nightlife was good - there is a street in Windsor called the Arches that has many different bars that turn into clubs late at night. There is also an Atik nightclub in the city centre too. There are not many students or people aged 20-24 on nights out - tends be a slightly older crowd, but it's still fun.

After work we would normally go to the cinema, play TopGolf, go for a run, go for food or drinks... taking part in weekly activities in Windsor is quite expensive.