Software Developer

I attended a scrum call every morning to update my scrum master on what job I was doing and its progress. I then spent the day working through this task or providing support to a colleague if I did not have anything to work on at that time. I then met my manager in the evening to go through any tasks I had issues with/had questions on, in order to increase my understanding.

Debugging - debugging Java code using the IDE, learning to break down existing codelines in order to test all possible sources of bugs, along with more reference to documentation and online research in case I was unable to solve it there and then. Coding - Consolidated my Java and Python, also picked up Maven & Spring Boot.

Initially was provided support with tasks, eventually moving onto bug fixes/development independently once tickets were assigned.

A good amount - I was never made to feel helpless when it came to a task as I always had a direct line to my line manager and my colleague. Evening meetings were fruitful in providing me with the necessary guidance to get me on track if I felt I was stuck on an issue.

Difficult to get involved in given that I worked from home for the entirety of placement, but there was evident diligence across the team, also with a recognition that contact was significantly limited, so there were opportunities given to have a chill chat with colleagues at the end of the week.

It was fun to learn about the varying functions of the projects being worked on, however being stuck at home for the entirety of the placement made it difficult to keep up that enjoyment. It was quite slow at the beginning as well, since I had to carry out onboarding which was inhibited by the lack of personal contact between myself and the team.

Yes

Be inquisitive - there is no such thing as a stupid question. Use any opportunity you have to network, you may find it useful in the future to have contacts if you wish to come back. Make the most of the work available - the experience is invaluable for your uni degree and career. Be proactive, seek out more work if possible and try to form a rapport with all of your colleagues, it makes communication easier.