Junior Software Developer Review

As someone who originally wasn't very interested in undertaking a placement, I was very glad I decided to undertake a placement with Cognito IQ. The work involved was interesting and enjoyable and I had never done this type of work before adding to my level of engagement and interest. I learnt countless new skills and felt I could develop my software engineering competencies and abilities. The variety of work I undertook helped keep the work fresh and I felt like I never stopped learning.

Working at Cognito IQ on a placement, I joined a team of which I felt a part of. Over the course of the placement I felt how my own abilities were developing such that I could contribute more and more to the team and our projects. And from the very beginning I felt that I could contribute to the team and my opinions and thoughts were valued and used. I was given the same tasks and work to complete as the rest of my team and was often asked questions and opinions from other teams so I felt like a valued member of the company.

During the course of my placement I had weekly or bi-weekly one to one catch up meetings to check up on me and answer any questions I might have. This meant that I had a clear understanding of my development and progress on my placement and wasn't lost. I also had two performance reviews in which I received feedback and also could request training and support which allowed me to have time taken at work to develop my own abilities. I definitely recommend making the most out of training opportunities.

During the course of the placement, I was part of a number of projects and developments. This meant that the level and type of work could change throughout the placement. However I never felt overwhelmed and could always reach out for support from the team or others to help me progress with my work. Some days would get more busy, especially when a project is close to completion, but this helped develop the experience of having to work with software development. There was no requirement to work past hours and I was able to mostly pick which tasks I do.

During my placement I was given the responsibility to complete tasks and work on time and collaborate with my team members and members of other teams to get those tasks completed. It was my responsibility to help progress the project, identify areas if success, short-fall, and improvement and to take actions on those improvements along with the team. I attended all the same meetings as my team and completed the same work as my team. And lastly it was my responsibility to ensure that I keep up to date with the ever changing world of technology and bring fresh ideas to the company. I was also allowed to demonstrate something I developed to the whole company.

Working on my placement, I developed my abilities in areas such as agile software development, programming competencies, system development, and testing as well as more soft skills such as planning, team collaboration, time management and commitment, and communication skills. These have allowed me to choose a final year project for which I am already prepared to deliver a high quality implementation of a system and also allowed me to pick modules that best suited my future development given the better understanding I have now of which career I would like to pursue.

The office has a very open design and so there is a very friendly open atmosphere around the building. Often people gather on the sofas during lunch to eat together, chat, and play games. With open kitchens it's common to find people having a chat whilst making tea and coffee. And there are video game tournaments going on often where you can challenge anyone taking part. With an open office it was also easy to communicate with the rest of the team to ask about something, discuss something, or just have a chat.

When joining Cognito IQ on a placement, one of the IP students working there already at the time was allocated as my IP buddy whom would help me setup and go through some training during my first month. I was given a 6 week development plan when I joined, as well as plenty of introductory and training sessions. Getting going from the start was easy and comfortable and integrating into the team was seamless and easy.

The company had a detailed training plan set up for me when I first joined which allowed to me train and practice in the areas and technologies that I will be using in my placement. Throughout the placement, I also had opportunities to request additional training in many forms. The company paid for my AWS Certification preparation, training, and exams and I was also given a Udemy business account with plenty of paid for training courses to learn from.

Working as an IP is a great way to not only increase employability but also have the opportunity to secure a place for yourself with the company once you finish your final year of uni. Although I wouldn't have received an offer to return until some time after the end of my placement I feel like there is a significant opportunity to return. These placement programs are a great way for employers to hire new graduates that have already worked with them for a year so there is a great opportunity for an IP student to secure a place after uni.

Due to the office being a very open one, it was very easy to get to know other people in the office and interact with new people. The company had areas with sofas, tvs, PS4s, VR, and Nintendo Switch and there were many opportunities during the day to relax with colleagues. There were also monthly board game nights and after work meetups to go to, as well as going out for lunch some days and having events like a Christmas party.

As someone who lived in another town and commuted in to the office each day, I cannot say I am very familiar with the cost of living in the area but general day to day costs were normal and as expected. Some places such as pubs could sometimes be more pricey but nothing significant. There are plenty of places to go in Newbury and many opportunities to go out after work or during the weekends with colleagues from work.

I didn't spend too much time myself experiencing the nightlife or Newbury as I lived in another town but the few times I decided to join some people from work and go into town left me with great experiences. There is no shortage of interesting places to go to in Newbury and during the night the town seems lively and active. The streets however tend to be quiet, safe, and clean. There are many places to visit in and around Newbury.

After work, once a month, there was a company board game night, which provided endless laughs with colleagues and other placement students. There was also plenty of pizza available as well during those nights. Other than that there were often trips to pubs or restaurants every week to join and for those who miss studying at uni there is also the opportunity to study with some colleagues for the AWS Certification exams. On top of that there were other activities organised by individuals from the company from sports to D&D.