We are very passionate about working with undergraduates and graduates, offering opportunities for them to further their careers and extend their knowledge. We’ve been running a successful undergraduate placement scheme since 2007 and several placement students have been employed by us upon graduation. We are proud to be in affiliation with STEMM and as a company, we’re keen to learn from the next generation of developers, business analysts and project managers so we can continue to grow and develop.
Our latest trio joined us last month and we have asked them some questions about their experience so far.
What university and course are you studying/ have studied?
I am currently studying Computer Science at Plymouth University.
What are you hoping to achieve from your placement?
I am looking to further develop the knowledge I have gained from my course by learning about the real-world applications of the concepts I have been studying. I am also keen to understand what it is like working within an Agile-based team and to develop my team working skills.
What have your learnt so far?
Whilst developing on SurveyorTech I have learnt how to use Aurelia – a front end JavaScript framework, better practices for working in an Agile team, better practices for source control, and how to deploy ASP.NET and mobile applications.
What programs are you currently using and learning how to use?
I am currently using Visual Studio to develop mobile applications for Android and iOS, alongside ASP.NET Web Apps. I am also using VS Code for front-end development, and Sourcetree as a Git client. Finally, I use Microsoft Teams to communicate with everyone in the office.
What teams are you currently working with?
I have been working with the SurveyorTech team and the Sparkle team.
Describe your experience so far in three words?
Fast-Paced, Friendly, Educational.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully with a first-class degree! Over the next five years or so, I would like to have narrowed down a subject area in which I can start to focus my learning and career on. Fields such as Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are at the cutting edge of technology and in five years’ time, I would like to be working on projects where these are being used in new and creative ways. More personally, I would like to have a shiny car and a nice house!
What university and course are you studying/ have studied?
Studying Computer Science at the University of Bath doing a BSc (Hons) with placement.
What are you hoping to achieve from your placement?
Hoping to gain a better understanding of the tech industry to ultimately figure out what I enjoy doing when I look for a grad job.
What have you learnt so far?
Learnt how to better problem solve, work independently.
Different roles in the company and how they come together to produce an end product.
What programs are you currently using and learning how to use?
Jenkins, Sourcetree, Visual Studio, Selenium, Cypress, Jira
What teams are you currently working with?
Testing team
Describe your experience so far in three words?
Challenging, Rewarding and Engaging
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully in a graduate job where I am challenged and can use the skills learnt during my placement and university.
What university and course are you studying/ have studied?
I studied at Exeter, studying Business Management. In this course, I studied various aspects of business ranging from finance to marketing to managing my own project! The latter helped set me up for a career in Project Management by teaching me how to track project progress in smaller sections- similar to how we arrange work into smaller two-week sprints.
What are you hoping to achieve from your placement?
I’m hoping to gain a comprehensive understanding of Project Management, as well as the role of a Business Analyst.
What have your learnt so far?
I have developed my professional skills considerably, such as leading meetings, sending vital client emails and handling important financial data. I have also gained an understanding of my role as a Project Manager and started to take on responsibilities such as initiating and closing projects. This includes one of my own projects, the File Migration project; it involves moving the current File Drive system to a cloud-based one (this should mean no more VPNs!!). I have only just begun to kick this project off with the initial requirements and meetings with stakeholders, but greatly look forward to seeing the benefits this brings to the company first-hand! I have also learned about my role as a Business Analyst and their responsibilities, such as liaising with clients and identifying their business requirements; I have been visiting PenCarrie to run workshops along with Max to further develop my understanding of this.
What programs are you currently using and learning how to use?
I am currently using all MS Office apps, as well as Jira and STK, our own bespoke reporting and time recording systems. I will also be learning how to use Celoxis soon, which will be a PPM tool allowing the company to better plan, track and manage projects in one place, instead of having to use multiple tools as we presently do.
What teams are you currently working with?
I am currently working with the PM team, the Testing and Development teams, the I.T team as well as external clients. However, I’m often working with other teams within Software Solved such as the Marketing team when assisting with project information for them to showcase; I also help Marketing by pulling all project information together which feeds into our monthly gazette, giving the organisation a flavour of the status of our projects!
Describe your experience so far in three words?
Interesting, Fun and Valuable.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
I likely see myself working in Project Management with more experience under my belt and potentially with a Project Management qualification, such as a PRINCE 2.
In October the Undergraduate/Graduates will be shadowing their line managers and recording what you have learnt on projects.
If you’re interested in finding out more about our undergraduate scheme?, take a look at this video from our previous undergraduates.
