Software Engieer Review

My job title is a Software Engineer, but the company is starting to look for generalised specialists and so I have worked in a number of roles ranging from testing to developing and I have also been involved in server migrations. On a day-to-day basis, I always have interactions with the team that I am in as we have stand-ups and the teams arent overly large so we all know what each other do. Last year, I worked on around 7-8 different projects.

Being an Apprentice, and having not done any kind of development before I joined Capgemini, I have learnt a lot of new skills and will have gained a number of qualifications by mid-year 2014. As the company start working in an Agile way, I have done the Scrum Master course and got certified in it and I will also have two Level 4 NVQ's by June/July time and then in September I will be starting my Degree. On a skill basis, I have learnt so much; for example, .NET, MVC, Web Forms, SDLC, Testing practices and processes, Lean Sustainability improvements and also Agile.

The range of work is great and the companies lists clients mean that as soon as you join Capgemini, you will be working on projects for some of the countries largest companies and depending on where your base location, you could be working on projects for the Government. The team/department has been great, they are very sociable and there is always something going on every month or so. If im honest, it beat my initial expectations when I joined but having been here for almost 2 years now, the work has started to dwindle and the department that I work in is moving on a third of the department to other departments. Other than that, I have really enjoyed working for Capgemini and they are really focused on Career Development which is something I appreciate as I intend to get as high in the company as possible.

Something that I think is good is called the Customer Satisfaction Survey, which a client has to fill in at the end of a project once its been deployed to them. When you read good comments & feedback about the work that you did or the application you created, its really encouraging. Also, one of the good things about Capgemini is that it doesnt matter how skilled you are, how much you know or what you know, everyone is treated exactly the same this is good in projects as the more senior developers are far more supportive and appreciative of your skills.

Unfortunately, I feel that I joined the Higher Apprentice scheme at the wrong time as within a few months of joining, it started to go through some major changes and it was felt that these things were being communicated as effectively as they could have been and in end we had to find out information from anyone who knew, instead of just directing our questions towards our Programme Managers. The degree side of the programme was aborted after a year as the provider wasnt any good, one of our NVQs had its Level increased which meant we had a higher workload on top of what we were already doing and in the end, we had to resort to setting up our own meetings with the PMs to find out information that was directly affecting us. Additionally, at the time we joined we were doing our NVQ work and the degree (which we found out we had started from an email on a Saturday morning) at the same time as working. But this was changed and instead we are doing one after the other. On the other hand, the first 3 months of training that we recieved was great as it meant those of us who hadnt had any experience of the software/development world could learn it from scratch and complete the exams ready for when we joined the company later in the year. The range of topics/subjects we covered was intense for a 3 month period, but the support I got from my department helped me through this period.

To be honest, we only receive support from our Training Provider when we ask for it. We see our assessor every 6 weeks so that we can go over what work we have completed, but other than that we can just email him when we want to ask questions. The only really problems we had from them was when we first joined as they were in charge of organising where we were taining and what we would be doing and in some cases we were told and so lost valuable time, when we could have been learning. Also, at one point we were told on a Friday that we would need to be in Birmingham on the Monday for further training which wasnt ideal.

The support that I personally have received from Capgemini has helped massively in my career development, as when I wanted to do training, they have authorised it; they set up mentors for each of the apprentices when we joined and the whole department has been extremely supportive during projects as they all understand we are apprentices and we wont necessarily know as much as them.

Working at my base location means that I do not have high costs for travel or other expenses and so the salary has been sufficient on this basis. Also, Capgemini has Performance Reviews for work and grades which are reviewed every 6 months, but just at the end of last year our Programme Managers introduced a new Pay & Progression framework which means our pay is reviewed quarterly and our grade is still reviewed every 6 months.

Capgemini have many initiatives for their employees to get involved in, ranging from department level to Group level. On a monthly basis we have department nights out, in our contract we also have a number of days which are specifically allocated to volunteering, they do charity events & fundraising events for local or national causes. We have a Sports & Social Club which is updated regularly with arranged trips and events that we can attend for reduced prices and there is also a wider Capgemini Group site where you can get discounts off vouchers for any store, discounts off wider events and various other money saving initiatives.

Yes

Capgemini is a great company to work for, they are supportive of their staff, proactively helping in Career Development, they support outisde initiatives and the range of work and job opportunities that you can get involved in is immense. Being a global company, the opportunities are certainly endless, so if you feel you want to work somewhere else or have ago at another role then Capgemini will offer the training. They have a great ethos, values that show their willingness towards their staff and are keen to develop sustainability in local communities and wider environment/social affairs and charitable events.

Do research about the company, what they stand for and what they do, before any interivew or assessment centre. Have a good team spirit and dont shy away from working closely in the team, as this is one of the main things Capgemini look for; teamwork. And its also one of their key values. Ask every question you have, it doesnt matter if its as simple as asking where a particular room is; the more you ask, the more you learn and the more you ask, the more interested you come across and better opportunities you get. Be yourself, dont shy away from being proactive in getting what you want or asking for something you think will benefit your Career Development in the future. Although the first 3 months are intense, learning new things, making new friends and doing exams, it doesnt matter if you dont know something, as we all have to start off learning from the beginning about something. Grab every opportunity that comes your way, even if you think it wont benefit your short team Career, think of your long term Career. For example, I am moving departments after having spent just over a year and a half in my current one as the work is low and I want to be kept busy. I know that although it probably wont make a massive difference to my short term Career, it will make a difference to my long term Career Aspirations. Finally, dont be put off by doing something that isnt in your job description; I have worked as a tester and been involved in server migrations but my job title is a Software Engineer. The more you learn, the better grounding you will get in the future and more things you have for support if something doesnt quite turn out the way you wanted it to.