Software Developer Review

I really enjoyed my placement year. I immediately felt part of the team and was never let for too long without work to do. The fact that there were a lot of interns working around me helped me get settled in quickly. The team I was working in was great for the most part and the people I was in direct contact with were happy to always help

As I was working on a different team from the team I was supposed to be working with due to project requirements, I ended up interacting with more people. The new team was absolutely great and I never really felt like I was intern and more like an actual employee

My manager and my mentor were different people and both really helped me with any problems or issues I had both inside and outside work. I never felt like I couldn’t ask them a question in confidence. I have gained a lot of knowledge from both of them just by interacting and asking them questions

For the majority of the year I was busy everyday. I always had work to do and if I didn’t there was always something that needed doing especially on the project I was working on. Once that project had finished about 2 months before the end of my internship, I was left with a little less work to do but I never felt too bored

The project that I spent the year working didn’t have enough people initially and so I ended up joining the project. Joining this project was the best thing that could’ve happened. I learnt so much and was treated like a regular employee from the get go. I was never given “easier” work because I was an intern and I continued to be given more responsibility as my confidence and skills grew.

The skills I’ve learnt have been hugely beneficial. While most of the skills I gained may not be directly transferable to my degree they’ve helped me adapt my learning and my problem solving skills towards my degree. These skills have also opened more doors for me post degree as they’re not things I had learnt at University but are used extensively in industry. While I wish I had been exposed to more, I have definitely learnt a lot more than I could have imagined

The general atmosphere in the office was great. Everyone I met was really friendly and always happy to answer questions or just have a chat. It didn’t take long for me to adapt to such an environment as it was so welcoming. I couldn’t have asked for a better office or team.

While I was working on the project, work was well organised. We had daily stand ups so everyone knew what they were doing and what everyone else was doing or planning on doing. On the work outside of the project, work was a little less organised but I always knew who to ask to clarify my concerns

When I first started the internship, the first couple of weeks we had a number of different training sessions covered by different people in the team helping us get acclimatised to the work environment and the tools we use. This was very useful and it really felt like they wanted us to be fully part of the team and contribute

I have really enjoyed my time at Disney but I definitely feel like I am ready for another challenge. I have learnt so much and I have much to learn still but I’m ready for something different. My manager has said that he looks to interns whenever he is hiring and so there is an opportunity to come back after graduation but it depends on options at the time whether I take it

While my specific team didn’t do much outside of work this wasn’t the same for all teams. We did have the odd drink on Friday after work but they were few and far between. However, the social scene among other interns was incredible. There were loads of interns and there was always something going on and everyone was super friendly

Being in London, everything was very expensive and so cost of living was almost three times as much as cost of living back at Uni. However that being said, we were paid enough to cover that somewhat. This also hindered socialising but we always found ways to do it cheaper

As mentioned in another point, cost was a huge barrier for a lot of people and so nightlife was limited. That being said I did manage to go on some nights out and they were really good fun. I just wish it was slightly cheaper as it was difficult to convince people to spend a lot to come out

Outside of work there was not a huge deal but we did have a lot of volunteering opportunities representing Disney which were always a lot of fun. I was involved in a few of these but there was a lot more that I didn’t attend that seemed like a lot of fun