Developer Review

I was given plenty of responsibilities and felt trusted during the 4 weeks I spent at sky. I felt challenged which meant I learnt a hell of a lot through real world applications like investigating bugs and finding fixes. There was plenty of support and no one was too busy to help me.

There was plenty of support in the role. No one was too busy to help and employees were polite and welcoming. Briefings were clear and concise, every question was answered in detail and there wasn’t a time I thought I couldn’t ask for additional help when completing the tasks that were given to me.

I was given a buddy who helped me through the placement, this person was my first port of call when it came to getting assistance. If this person didn’t have the answer they could ask someone else, however I never felt like I was being an inconvenience and everyone I spoke to was willing to help.

In terms of transferable skills and experiences that could inform my degree studies,I’d say they don’t have a huge impact on my studies. Some of the exercises definitely helped me develop new techniques and processes that will assist my work not just during my studies but after I graduate and become a professional.

Due to the size and scale of the company, there was an obvious structure to the way the placement was undertaken. It felt organised and I was surprised at how quickly it went by. It was the most enjoyable placement I’ve done to date (out of 2 others) and would happily work here after university.

At times the culture could be slightly fast paced for my liking, the obvious need for goals and targets can mount the pressure. However this will only help you in the long run by getting acclimated to the high pressure environment a large commercial company like this no doubt offers.

It was clear to me after week 2 that the placement is less about developing specific skills and more about getting used to the atmosphere and dynamics in the workplace. This is exactly the experience I was after as this experience will no doubt be useful when I graduate in a years time.

As previously stated, the culture and atmosphere in the office is second to none. Due to the size of the company, there was lots of amenities and perks that made working there so much fun. As well as this, the hard work and graft that was put in is clear that it takes a certain level of dev to keep up with the fast paced nature of the business.

At times it can be very relaxed but this was countered with a good balance of getting your head down and getting the work done, which was very high pressure and beneficial to the experience. There pool table and ping pong which great for getting to know people and having a bit of a laugh.

There was plenty of tasks that I enjoyed but others not so much. The ones that were given to me played to both my strengths and weaknesses and certainly assisted in me deciding what I want to pursue during term times and possibly after uni, all in all the tasks helped me gain a perspective of what it’s like outside of uni.

I was paid enough to live off. Around minimum wage, which is better than some other placements, it might be different in other areas of the business but this helped me getting to and from work, getting lunches etc, however it wasn’t enough to cover accommodation which is to be expected.

Not so much. Outside of the team that I was around most of the time there wasn’t much opportunity to talk to others around the company. This wasn’t much of an issue for me but for others it may be as you don’t necessarily know you want to pursue a career in that very department.

I can’t really comment on this question as there was unfortunately not an opportunity to network or socialise during my time and the company. However they did make it clear that I could stay in touch and that they would keep my details on file if I were to ever apply in the future for a role.

There wasn’t much time to get involved in anything like this. There was a 5 a side team that play every week at a local pitch against other departments in the company, however I never got involved in this due to the short time I was at the company for.

For any aspiring dev or designer it is a great place to start your placements and / or work experience year. If I were to make one criticism is that it’s not long enough, I felt as soon as I’d settled into the role it was over, so to get a better idea of what it’s like when you’re fully comfortable I’d try and get a longer placement.