Software Engineer Program Review

I truly enjoyed my placement year. It was an opportunity for me to dive into the work force, and experience what its like to work in an actual software engineering team; something I had never done before. Although the work was stressful at times, I felt that this was good preparation for the 'real world', and that it was much needed.

My colleagues went the extra mile to make me feel welcome in the team. As a university student with no practical experience, I needed all the help I could get, and my colleagues offered it whenever I asked for it, either immediately, or by setting a meeting at a future date to provide more meaningful help.

My colleagues were experienced software engineers, so every interaction with them felt like I was being given guidance. With every contribution I made, I was given feedback, which helped fine tune my skills, and make me a much better software engineer. Management also had monthly sessions in which we could discuss any concerns, which was very helpful.

I was instantly very busy when I joined the team, as there was a lot to learn. As I learned more about the system and became more comfortable with it, I was given more and more responsibilities, and I quickly became an active and contributing team member.

By the end of my placement, I was treated like a full time employee, and was given a lot of responsibility. This made me feel valued, and was good motivation to perform to the best of my abilities.

As mentioned in the other section, this was the first software engineering experience I had, and I had learned more in 1 year than I had in 2 years of university. The practical skills I picked up, both technical and interpersonal, will stay with me forever and will benefit me greatly in the years to come.

The atmosphere was very corporate, although there were many initiatives being run to try and improve the culture of the office to make it more techy and enjoyable. New ideas were always welcomed.

The placement team went above and beyond in ensuring that the interns always felt comfortable, and they always provided outlets for us to voice our concerns, where they would be heard and acted upon swiftly.

I was encouraged to perform training within the company, whether that be through attending training sessions, or using a part of my day to learn a new technology.

I was given a graduate offer, and I will definitely be returning!

Given the number of intern intake every year, there was an abundance of social groups to join, and it was easy to find someone to socialize with at lunch or during work events.

Canary Wharf was quite an expensive area, so living costs were high. Outings were also very expensive in London in general, unless you took part in student organized events.

I personally did not take part in the nightlife, but it seemed like my colleagues enjoyed it very much.

Corporate Responsibility Day involved volunteer work, in which I personally helped paint fences in one of London's parks. I also took part in the Corporate Challenge, which was a 5.6km run in Battersea Park, which was super fun.