Spring Technology Insight Review

I very much enjoyed the insight. It gave me very in depth knowledge regarding the software practices at Morgan Stanley, and it helped me decide more accurately which area of Software Engineering I wish to work in the future at the firm. They also gave us good tips for future interviews, which will come in handy when preparing for them.

Given that the Technology Spring Week was online, it was harder to feel valued than at the offices, I can imagine. However, I was impressed by the enthusiasm and committment the company had towards the Spring Insighters, and it gave me a glimpse of how the company views its human capital.

The entire insight was very much focused on delivering support. We could ask as many questions as we wanted, we could email the organisers after hours for more information, and the sessions gave us a clear indication of what it would be like to work at a firm like Morgan Stanley.

The pen and paper programming session gave me key insights on how to approach solving programming problem sets, and it opened my mind to ways of thinking that I wasn't explicitly aware of beforehand. This will help in my degree because my degree will involve a lot of computational exercises which will require keen problem solving skills.

The insight was very well structured. We were given a timetable a couple weeks in advance, in addition to reviewing the structure every day before beginning the sessions. There were some alterations to the original schedule, but this was explained and it showed preparedness on their behalf, as well as determination to provide us the best possible experience.

The atmosphere was very collaborative. There were students from all over the UK who wanted to talk to you and get to know you better, and the people at Morgan Stanley really emphasised the importance of being friendly, helpful. Overall, I got the impression that the environment working at the firm would be very welcoming.

The firm was fully invested in our preparation and in the development of our skills. Even though we didn't get much time to develop these, it was clear that the firm was committed in developing the potential of its human employees, with the aim of getting them up to speed in the most cutting edge technology skills.

The firm made sure we had a clear idea of what would be expected of us. Between Managing Directors talking about their over twenty years or so of experience, to recent graduates talking about their experience as interns, we got a very good idea of how much work would be expected of us.

The company culture was obvious from the offset. The employees at the firm made sure to emphasise the importance of being collaborative, friendly, and helpful to one another, especially as engineers at the firm, and this was also clear from the experience of recent interns who agreed with most of what the company was saying.

It was very valuable. It helped me see what kind of path I would go onto if I were to continue working in Technology at Morgan Stanley, and it helped me see the kind of career progression that was possible, and in that sense, it was clear that the firm ensured that everyone's professional goals were achieved with enough work and determination.

I was not paid because it was an online session. Therefore, it was not possible for me to get paid for expenses because there were no expenses associated with the insight, as I did not travel anywhere and I was in my home were food was always provided, free of charge to the company.

Yes the firm heavily emphasised the importance of networking. There were a series of networking events during and after the session, and the importance of Linkedin was emphasised because they mentioned it would help broaden our circle and achieve the professional goals we desired in the future, especially in our thirties.

The networking opportunities would have been better if I had been in the offices. I feel that in that sense we missed out due to the pandemic currently affecting over half of the world, and which prevented the Spring Week from happening in the offices in London. However, the substitutes were good enough.

Yes the firm made it clear what kind of activities would be possible as extracurriculars. From highlighting the importance of innovation at the firm to highlighting the importance of giving back to the community, it was clear that employees at the firm did a lot more than just work 9 to 5 jobs.

I would recommend the insight if and only if someone is interested in technology in a fast paced environment. Since this is imperative in order ot enjoy the technological aspect of the insight, anyone who doesn't enjoy maths or programming would not enjoy the insight, unless they wanted to explore different career paths.