Software Engineer Review

I am a software engineer so each day I am tasked with resolving and documenting issues that occur with the system that my team is supporting. It is a very small team so I have a very large stake in the success of the project.I am currently developing an application using Java and web technologies.

When I joined in 2013 I was immediately placed on a project that was very poorly equipped to provide me with the training and support I needed. Thus, it was imperative for me to be able to work independently, a skill that I have improved on in the last 3 years. In September 2017 I will graduate with a BSc (Hons) Information Systems Management. During my time at CGI I trained as a first aider with St. Johns Ambulance and also attended a QA course on configuration management and deployment using Puppet.

I enjoy working with my project team and get a sense of achievement from its successful delivery.

I am appreciated within my small project team but I do not feel appreciated within my wider department. This is due to the department culture whereby CGI undergraduates are not valued, or perceived to be less competent than their graduate colleagues. This may be due to a negative perception of the programme by department managers. Thus, undergraduates are made to feel like second-class citizens. In addition, the CGI performance review system is stacked against developers working in small teams like myself. This is due to the normalisation process which means that performance scores must be graded against your peers. This means it is almost impossible for an undergraduate in my department to achieve an 'exceeds expectations' performance review as undergraduates may be placed on projects with people who are significantly older and have more software development experience.

The academic content of the course has not met my original expectations upon joining the company. I feel that my concerns that I raised about the course content were not taken seriously. The quality of the modules varied wildly from module to module, some but not all of this can be attributed to the fact that I am in the first year of this new information systems qualification.

The university tutors are able to offer support via email.

I find that the level of support offered by the company is adequate. Though this experience will vary depending on the people manager you are assigned. Your people manager will support you with any concerns you may have about your project team or the company as a whole.

I believe that my salary is substantially below the industry standard for the work that I am doing. However, this is offset somewhat by the costs incurred by CGI in funding my degree. The salary package offered on graduation is *far* below the industry standard for software developers and is only slightly more than new graduates who are fresh out of university. I find this unacceptable as by the time we graduate from the programme we have three years experience in the industry. While the salary after graduation is not competitive CGI do offer a reasonable benefits package involving a share purchase plan and a profit participation plan. Both of these schemes are quite generous. CGI also offer pension contributions at double the amount you put in. CGI do offer private healthcare for free and other benefits that you can opt-in to via a salary sacrifice including a dental plan and travel insurance.

Yes. The sports and social club offer a wide variety of events (and you can even organise your own events) that you are able to attend for a large discount. An example of this was an SSC trip to see the Book of Mormon - it cost members only £24 which is about 1/3 of the retail price of the tickets. The SSC also offer subsidised restaurant trips.

Yes

I would recommend the programme to a friend as overall it represents a good programme. However, I do have reservations about some of the academic content of the course and some of CGI's internal practices such as performance reviews. It is an extremely demanding programme, particularly if you are required to travel a long distance to the office each day as I am.

CGI are looking for candidates with the following attributes for this programme: * Excellent written and verbal communication skills are required. * High-level of previous academic achievement in order to demonstrate you are capable with the work load necessitated by a demanding degree course. * Good organisational and time management skills. * Strong team-working and leadership ability. I would offer prospective employees the following advice when applying to CGI; * Ensure that your application is well written, make sure to proofread it first. * Make sure you push yourself on the assessment day. They are looking for driven candidates who are enthusiastic about joining the company. * If you are set on pursuing a wholly technical degree such as computer science you may find the degree content a little limited, as I did. However, you will learn some of this in the workplace from colleagues as you gain experience.