Technology Industrial Placement Review

by Morgan Stanley

Rating

4/5
  • The Role
    4.2
  • The Company
    4.1
  • The Culture
    3.8

    The Role

  • 1. To what extent did you enjoy your work placement or internship?
  • I really liked the work placement in general. I learnt a lot and I developed a lot of skills - more than I thought I would. There were a lot of intern events organised for us which were educational and useful. However, I missed doing something fun as other companies do e.g. a boat party or going sightseeing in London or team building games. It was not that essential, but would have definitely made the experience better. I also liked that I did two rotations so that I could learn from two different teams and work on two different projects.

    4/5

  • 2. To what extent did you feel valued by your colleagues?
  • I felt that my work was recognised and that my teammates valued me. On several occasions they have thanked me for my work or have shared the value that it provides. When doing a demo or showcasing what I've done I received a lot of positive comments and feedback. The feedback from the stakeholders was positive as well and showed recognition. However, sometimes, especially during my second project I was a bit left out from the team activities on the basis that I should focus on the project as it's important to finish it.

    4/5

  • 3. To what extent were you given support and guidance by management/your supervisor(s)?
  • I was always supported by both my managers. Whenever I needed help they would either point me to the right direction or explain what I didn't understand so that I can do my work better. They were always available to answer any questions I had and I regularly had 1:1 meetings with them so that they could address any questions or concerns that I had. Only on a few occasions did they leave me to deal with the problem myself.

    5/5

  • 4. How busy were you on a daily basis?
  • In general, I wasn't neither too busy nor bored on a daily basis. I almost always had something to do on the project as we did regular planning. In the beginning it was a bit harder to adjust the speed of work as I didn't know how much work I could do in 2 weeks, so at the end of those 2 weeks I was often left with nothing to do or I was blocked on something. However, once I learnt how much work I could do on average, everything was with a good pace.

    4/5

  • 5. How much responsibility were you given during your placement?
  • I wasn't given much responsibility in terms of the direction of the project as it was predefined for me and I was just following the guidelines. Any decisions that had to be made were made by my manager or my team. However, when I would face challenges I would make suggestions how I can overcome them and I would usually get the approval of my manager or team. I was responsible for managing my time and delivering the project the way the stakeholders wanted it.

    4/5

  • 6. To what extent did/will the skills you developed, and training you received, assist you in your degree studies and beyond?
  • I developed a lot of technical skills that would be really useful in my degree studies. As I did the Industrial Placement between my 2nd and 3rd year, I am now more competent in choosing the topic for my 3rd year project (dissertation) because I know a lot more about technology and I can do a lot more things. My soft skills were developed as well - I'm more confident in communicating with people around me and I'll be able to plan and manage my time much better during my 3rd year.

    5/5

    The Company

  • 7. What was the general atmosphere in your office?
  • The general atmosphere in the office was collaborative and helpful. However, for me it wasn't the fun atmosphere I'd like to have in the office - it was more about focusing on work. Even going to the coffee point only occasionally would I see people chatting with each other. I would say in general it was really good for people who like the quiet or just want to focus on their work without being bothered. Despite that, people are willing to help at all times and it is okay to interrupt them.

    3/5

  • 8. How well organised was the overall work placement or internship set up?
  • Overall it was organised great and the way I'd want it to be organised. It was divided into two rotations so that I can experience working in two different teams, which was a great opportunity to learn more about the company and the difference between the teams. I could also experience different team structures and way of work. We had midterm review and final review to gather feedback on each rotations. The only thing that I'd change is the way these meetings were communicated to us - there wasn't enough transparency from the beginning on how the evaluation process works, what is expected of us and when these meetings actually were. I was learning everything on the go.

    4/5

  • 9. In terms of personal training and development, to what extent did the company or firm invest in you?
  • Morgan Stanley invests a lot in their employees - there were always bootcamps and sessions for people to learn and grow. There were training sessions and subscriptions to learning websites that are provided by the company if someone wants to learn something new. There are lots of opportunities to work with different technologies and people there are happy to share their knowledge. The same goes not only for technical, but also for soft skills as there are plenty of resources for people to learn.

    5/5

  • 10. What were the perks on your work placement?
  • Subsidised Canteen

    Subsidised/Company Gym

    Staff Sales/Staff Shop

    Working from home

    Healthcare/Dental

    5/5

  • 11. How appealing are future employment prospects within the organisation?
  • I would definitely consider working at Morgan Stanley. The people there are really nice, helpful and collaborative, they really care about their work and like learning and sharing knowledge. I also like the culture and the values that the company has and protects. They can be seen how important they are especially during a crisis like the pandemic. There are also various career opportunities within the Firm and different roles that are available and switching between them is something common that people do. The only reason I would consider a different company is that the atmosphere is not as fun as I'd like it to be.

    4/5

    The Culture

  • 12. Was there a good social scene amongst any fellow placement students/colleagues?
  • We were provided with a lot of networking events with senior management and had talks from successful people and we all had to attend them. During induction there were a lot of opportunities for us to get to know each other. In the beginning we were also seated together so that we could help each other. However, that was only in the beginning when the summer analysts were at the company; later on we did not really have a lot of events to attend and had to make the organisation ourselves.

    4/5

  • 13. What was the cost of living and socialising in the area you worked in?
  • I worked for the London office and London is one of the most expensive cities in the UK. It was expensive to find a place to live in; however, the social life was great. As the office was in Canary Wharf, the area is not as expensive as other parts of London, but there was not a lot of things to do either. Nevertheless, the city centre was 20 minutes away by tube, which was worth it.

    4/5

  • 14. What was the Nightlife like in the area you worked?
  • The nightlife in London is amazing - there are a lot of pubs and night clubs that are open anywhere in the city. The tube worked until very late in the evening and it got me to the city centre within 20 minutes from Canary Wharf where the office is. Around Canary Wharf there isn't much nightlife though. It was very common for the interns to go to a pub after work or to a bar.

    5/5

  • 15. Were there many opportunities to get involved in activities outside of work?
  • From the program there weren't many organised activities outside of work for the interns, so we had to organise ourselves. Within the team there were some activities outside of work that were being organised, but it really depended on the team. During my first rotation, my team wasn't very social in the beginning when I joined and they weren't going out a lot. However, it all changed in the middle of the rotation as we started going to lunches every two weeks. During my second rotation, my team was really social and we were going out almost every week.

    3/5

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Details

Placement (10 Months+)

Computer Science

London

September 2020


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