EMEA Software Engineering Intern Review

I enjoyed working with my team a lot, I learned a lot about front end development and also had a shadowing session for UI/UX development. I really liked the atmosphere in the workplace, as it felt comfortable and I found myself settled quickly into the programme. I did have some struggles throughout, feeling sometimes that I was out of my depth as I didn't understand a lot about what the project as a whole and the system it is being integrated in - however around weeks 6/7 I started really getting into the work I was doing and making a lot of progress within the project and felt happy doing so.

My team were fantastic, very inclusive and considerate. They took their time with us and understood if we were struggling. On top of this, we regularly went for team lunches and even some socials such as minigolf and bowling after work. The atmosphere that they created in the office really encouraged my learning. Our opinions were taken into consideration for all meetings even in topics that we don't have experience in, which definitely made me feel more valuable to the team.

Some of the aspects of the project, the rest of the team have no experience in which is what caused me to struggle sometimes - however my supervisor has always been supportive and helpful for any issues I've had as he's been in the same situation as myself. He's offered me different bits of advice and pushed me in the direction that I wanted to be going with this project that I've been doing these past 10 weeks.

Some days were full on and very busy, constantly doing work. On the days that I struggled with my work are the days that not so much work was done, however there were always JIRAs to be completed for the sprints so that amount of work to be completed was always consistent.

Personally I was given a fair bit of responsibility, I have lead some meetings, presentations and co-lead a demo to the team to provide information that is useful for them as our project will be integrated into the full teams later down the line. We were in charge of fixing our own issues and solving our own problems and seeking help when we needed it.

I learned to use a library and different connecting libraries for front end development, and developed my client interaction skills and public speaking (from leading meetings) which will all be very useful further down the line for myself even if I don't continue with J.P Morgan. I feel personally that the things I have learned are applicable to much more than just my university degree, but also future jobs and interactions.

The atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming, you can get up and do what you need whenever you please as long as you are doing your day-to-day work and not wasting time or co-workers time. As we all wear casual clothes it makes working a lot more fun as you don't feel tied to a suit all day.

I think for myself and within my team the placement was setup very well, and I put it down to my supervisor being consistently on top of making sure we're working and getting on alright. We had consistent 1-1 meetings and we were encouraged to create JIRAs for any issues that come up or ideas we think of.

There are a range of resources provided, such as the companies internal PluralSight, for personal training and skills development. There are also a range of internal chats dedicated to certain topics, languages or societies where there are a lot of people who are ready and willing to provide help for whatever you need. There are also workshops that the company get you to participate in to learn about yourself and others, such as the "More than just a label" session which focuses on diversity and inclusiveness between us all.

There are a lot of different departments and lines of business that I could go into if I were to be employed in the future which is very good to see. I was able to shadow others within different teams and LOBs to give me a better sense of what I want to do and where I want to go.

Glasgow has a fantastic nightlife, there are a range of activities that you can do for people that drink and don't drink! There are also a large number of places to get food no matter what your preferences or food restrictions are. People in Glasgow are also very welcoming if you are kind and considerate and give people the respect you would expect yourself to receive.