Software Engineering Degree Apprentice Review

Working on various software-related tasks, such as tool research, software requirements gathering, design, implementation, integration, and testing.

I've developed my knowledge of software tools and languages I was already familiar with, and have gained a basic understanding of many more, ranging from languages such as ADA and VBA to proprietary, licensed tools and products such as Pitch's pRTI and the Hadean simulation platform.

The experience is up-and-down depending on your team, manager, and general work flow. I've been in teams where there is almost no work available and it kills your motivation, but I've also been in teams where there was plenty of challenging but achievable work that felt rewarding.

The structure is simple, we move around different teams/departments for 6-7 month placements and have our progress assessed by the Early Careers team every ~10 weeks. Our final year is one long placement where we can optionally be provided a project that we can use for our university dissertations.

Support from the Early Careers team is easily available, but occasionally it feels like they're not really that helpful. Any big issues or changes that need actioning immediately will take a while to be resolved, but that's just the nature of large companies.

I am dissatisfied with a lot of the tutors/lecturers I've had during my time at UCLan. I think for the 12 modules and 20+ tutors/lecturers I've had, I found maybe 3 or 4 of them at all helpful. I often have to just teach myself the content.

There are some extra-curriculars, I think we have a football team, but I don't hear much about it. Some teams will have social/networking gatherings each month, some never will. There are plenty of stretch assignments and extra projects to get involved in.

Yes

While the quality/amount varies by team, some of the work can be very rewarding. The salary is good, the pension and share schemes are good, the opportunity to work hybrid or remotely is a huge selling point. The job security is also very good - Particularly if you're in the union.

Join the union, be sociable with your colleagues even if you don't like all of them, admit it to your boss when you're struggling with a task and either ask for help or just for a new task.