Data Analyst Intern Review

This placement was so much more than I had ever expected. The things we were working on was interesting, the people there were lovely and I felt like part of the team since day one. It was a lively environment to work at and support were always available. To top this there were multiple events such as one-week hackathon, cooking class, etc.

Extremely valued, I did not feel like an intern but instead an actual full time employee. My colleagues and I would ask each other for code review, when we were tackling a problem together my opinion would be taken into account. I work on the product just as everyone else rather than some intern project and my manager assigned tasks for me like she would have for the rest of the team.

There were a wide range of support throughout the placement. I had a weekly one-to-one session with my manager to review my work and keep clear for the future direction, a mentor system within my sub-team and a code-buddy program in the bigger team that was in rota per week. In addition, I was given access to the internal learning and online learning resources like Pluralsight and LinkedIn Learning.

The schedule was just right for me, I am always working on some task but it was rarely too much on the stack that I had to work over time for long. In times when we had cleared our top priorities, I was encouraged to explore around and answer business questions in the backlog.

I have been making impact on how the product would be maintain and which feature to be focus next since the beginning of the placement. Most of the time I was working independently as a full time employee would, I managed several dashboards on my own and my investigation results were put on to the monthly newsletter.

I was inspired in multiple aspects during this placement. For starter, working on a product that shipped monthly was so different from the Uni mock-up work I did or even the proof-of-concept work during my previous internship, there were way more elements to be considered in production. Besides that, as a data analyst I was opened to a new perspective as a software engineer. This expanded mindset is surely one of the top items I got out of this placement.

The people here were warm and welcoming and I really felt like working as a team on the same project. People were willing to help instead of simply getting their tasks on hand done. We also converse on topics outside of work and we even had a pool table available for breaks!

Everything has been well planned, the on-boarding was seamless with the induction tour and mentor system. HR was constantly checking in and there were internal training for extra information. Even when the team had gone through a product hand-over in the middle of my placement the process was smooth and my placement role was disturbed.

A lot. As mentioned previously Microsoft provides various learning resource, including LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight. Other than that, I was able to get my hands on the hololens during the hackathon event to get some first-hand on the AR experience. My manager also forwarded me with resources that helped improving my data analytic skills.

The return offer schema is clear, when an intern leaves Microsoft, the manager will leave a review and HR will decide on giving out an offer based on the review. My time in Microsoft has been wonderful so far, therefore I will be looking forward to securing a return offer for my graduated role if I could.

There were many intern events organized throughout the placement, it involves all the interns and their mentor/buddies from the whole building and not just within their own team. A list of social clubs were also available for me to join, including book club, football, D&D, public speaking, etc. Occasionally the team will go out together for a few drinks after work too.

It is in London so I wouldn't expect it to be the cheapest place of all. The canteen was subsidized and the office provided free drinks and fruit so this made it easier. I have been living in London already for my degree so there were no extra costs added to accommodation. Microsoft also provided some traveling benefit so that was good.

I would argue the nightlife in London was one of the best and also rich in variety. Bars and clubs are something that's never lack of in here. Besides the usual there were also musicals, seasonal pop-ups and festivals for a change of taste. I believe everyone can find their right nightlife in London.

As aforementioned, there were various social clubs like football after work, we also went out for drinks and dinner outside of work. A lot of internal events had been happening and even more dedicated just for interns. I think my year was one of the years with the most intern events.