Software Engineer Review

I am a Software Engineer working in the Big Data team. My job is to build platforms and capabilities that can ingest and process Big Data that can later be used for predictive analysis e.g. to prove if marketing drives sales.

I have gained Cloudera certifications in Hadoop technologies after attending Cloudera training sessions. I have learnt how to present in front of large groups of people and also attended programming training sessions

I thoroughly enjoy my day to day work. The role that I am in and the project that I am on is both challenging and very rewarding. However I dislike the actual apprenticeship i.e. work based assessments and virtual workshops.

I have been recognised for my good work on a number of occasions through positive feedback, delivery reward vouchers and ad-hoc gifts for example a bottle of wine for putting in a lot of effort during a particularly challenging week. Externally, the salary does not reflect the effort and work that is put into the job.

Internally, Capgemini are very organised and are there to help for more or less any scenario. The induction explains a lot and the offer of support is fantastic.The apprenticeship provider is less forthcoming and generally only offers support for the arranged meetings and nothing else

Tutor is accessible "at all times" but this is generally only as an email communication. Otherwise the planned by-monthly meetings are well structured and are fairly useful.

Employer is always offering support, it's part of the Capgemini culture. My manager is always open to questions and forever offering advice on how to improve my career. If things are getting tough and I tackle the issue early by asking for help, then I get help and support from a plethora of channels

Not very well. The salary for HA's is exactly the same whether you are based in London, Birmingham or Newcastle. The cost of living is not. I live in London and still live with parents as it's impossible to live on my own with the salary that Capgemini offers. If I was based in Birmingham then I'm sure I could've moved out

Yes plenty. There is a whole department for charity work and volunteering which provide a multitude of additional skills that are hard to come by on a day-to-day working basis.

Yes

It's a fun company to be a part of. If you do well and put maximum effort in then you will be rewarded. Unlike other consultancies, there is a strong, relaxed, hard-working atmosphere amongst most of the teams with regular socials and get togethers to help bond and appreciate the company

Make sure you are actually interested in IT otherwise you will struggle to adapt to the Capgemini culture. Potential apprentices generally don't have a lot to show off about in regards to their CV so a lot of interview questions will be about gauging your passion and interests. E.g. "Tell me something cool about tech?"