Information Technology Undergraduate Review

At Pfizer I was given a lot of responsibilities and lead numerous projects. I really was given the opportunity to go outside my comfort zone and develop my skill set.

My team were always super supportive and always provided me with feedback and praise. I really felt like a member of the team and was always asked my view on things as well as having my ideas always heard. I always felt I could reach out to them without feeling like a bother which really helped me feel more comfortable and confident in my role within the team. I could also have a laugh with my team which is always a good plus! :)

I always felt I could talk to my managers/supervisors about my future prospects as well as my current work and available opportunities. If I ever expressed I felt like I had too much on I was always then supported on whatever work I was struggling with to get resolved. I could always express my current concerns, work or personal, and get help on it!

I rather be busy than have nothing on and I was very busy in my role. There was rarely days I had nothing to get on with. At the start of my placement I must admit I wasn't busy at all and this all picked up in the new year.

I had training and then started to manage a service provided by my team as well as ongoing responsibilities from the get go. My manager did an excellent job of slowly letting me run things on my own and pushing me out of comfort zone. I had full control on how things were run and I made a lot of key decisions. By the end of my placement I was running this service on my own confidently with little support from my manager!

As a Computer Science student, I didn't really do anything super technical such as programming etc. that would directly help in my studies. However, the other soft skills I have developed are skills for life and will help me with managing my coursework once I return to university. I'm not sure what I want to do career wise but I do think my social media knowledge and management skills will come in handy wherever I decide to go next

It was generally friendly

I do find it ridiculous I essentially had to find my own work during my placement by reaching out to another team. Most of the work I had at the start weren't things I wanted to do but stayed involved with so I had something to do during the day rather than sit at my desk.

The company does have the opportunity for undergraduates to complete the six sigma yellow belt and there were some online training sessions hosted during the lockdown which were interesting. I was also always invited to training sessions within my team.

The graduate scheme available is not broad in terms of the roles available and only takes a small number of current interns on. Additionally, I would like to explore working in the city and Pfizer is in a very isolated area. I can see myself coming back to Pfizer when I'm older though.

I didn't really mix with the other interns as I commuted in from London and the majority of them lived in the surrounding area (Surrey). From what I heard there was karaoke and trips to the pub which isn't really my thing. Most colleagues have families and a long commute so many would often go home right after work and also due to the isolated location there wasn't many places to go besides the one pub down the road.

I can't answer this as I didn't move out and I didn't go out in the area.

I didn't go out in the area but I don't think there was much available and you'd probably have to travel out to go somewhere.

There was the STEM ambassadors which I wish I got more involved in but due to coronavirus the opportunities were sliced in half. We had about 5 volunteering days to use to go and do something for the local community.