Software Engineer Review

Job Title: Software Engineer I am employed as a software developer for Capgemini and work on a client site each day. I am exposed to a number of different technologies but I primarily work with Microsoft SQL and Adobe LiveCycle Enterprise Suite. There are a number of different project teams on the client account and due to having a unique area of expertise, I get the chance to work across many of the project teams. I am now also responsible for the creation and maintenance of the client’s customer correspondence documents.

Apart from being given the opportunity to achieve a level 4 apprenticeship qualification and degree, working in a real business environment provides many opportunities to learn from some very experienced people. The majority of what I’ve learned has come from help and guidance provided by my very experienced colleagues. Without them I would not have gained the development knowledge or learned the inner workings of the clients systems and this shows how important it is to listen and take on board as much as possible from your colleagues at an early stage in your career. Working on the account I have learned how to develop to the correct standards and gained exposure to a number of different technologies and tools such as XML,XSLT, Splunk etc…

The first few weeks of the program when I was on training was a great experience. I spent 13 weeks away training and got to meet a lot of great new people. Fortunately for new comers to the program Capgemini no longer work with the company that provided my original apprenticeship training as they were extremely incompetent. The program seems to be run much better now that it is controlled by the university. On the account, I find that I am enjoying the program the most when I have the chance to work on something new. The problem with the area that I work in is that it can become repetitive but I am hoping to move into new areas of development soon.

Do I feel valued by Capgemini….No not at all, I feel that Capgemini or at least the area of Capgemini that I work in are incredibly tight with money. Comparing the role that I have taken on over the last year and a half with employees who joined around the same time and the fact that the person previously doing that role was paid three times my salary yet I receive mediocre pay rises and excuses. On a positive note, my travel expenses are paid and I get to come into work early so that I can leave at a decent time as my unpaid travel time is around 12-15 hours a week just to get into work. I do however feel slightly more valued by the account and my managers due to being one of four people who have the skills required to work in one of the accounts niche but important areas.

The introduction period and initial 13 weeks training was very good. I learned a great deal about the company, IT and got to meet a lot of great people. The training was provided by some very good teachers and I passed all the exams at the end of the 13 weeks. However it was a few months after training that the issues began when I joined an account. We were meant to be visited by an apprenticeship assessor and unfortunately the company in charge of this failed to provide even an adequate service even when flagged up and an action plan put in place. We were left for months on end without any support which eventually left a number of apprentices with large amounts of work to complete with very little time. The program has now been taken over by the university which provides the overall degree so any of the issues I experienced should not occur for others.

As explained earlier, the initial suppliers of our apprenticeship failed to provide any level of support for the majority of our apprenticeship. We were provided with the initial documentation and tasks but then left for great lengths of time without reviews or being provided any further tasks and guidance. Even when the issues were raised it took a number of months to resolve them and resulted in the apprenticeship program having to be extended by a number of months for some people.

The support we received from Capgemini and the account has been very good. They were understanding about the situation caused due to our apprenticeship providers and were very flexible and allowed some time for our assessor meetings and exams. The account, my mangers and Capgemini’s senior management were also very supportive when I required time off work due to injury. I am also very fortunate that my employer is relatively flexible and allows me to work earlier so that I can finish and arrive home at decent times.

Luckily my travelling costs are covered by my employer as if they were not then I would not be working where I currently am. My salary is in my eyes not sufficient and the pay rise opportunities have been few and far between even when you increase your roles and responsibilities or step into roles which were previously paid at much higher rates. Regarding the social costs, due to having to travel around three hours a day back and fore to work I find that I do not really go out once I am home due to the fact that I have to get up at 5.15am. Perhaps such things wouldn’t bother most people but for the current salary does not warrant all this effort and travelling time which I why I am currently on the lookout for roles closer to home.

There are many opportunities from my employer if you are situated in England and especially London however as I work in Wales the number of opportunities tends to be less. There are opportunities to volunteer for fund raising and occasional nights out when a colleague is leaving the company/account. However if you have friends that you work with then you create your own opportunities and can socialize as and when you want. The city that I work in has plenty of available sports and leisure clubs.

Yes

I would recommend a friend to Capgemini if they were joining as a young person, joining straight out of school would be a perfect scenario. The apprenticeship degree program really does give a great opportunity to gain experience, knowledge and qualifications in IT and at the same time earn a decent wage. If you are trying to begin a career in the IT industry then provided you are accepted, the Degree program is definitely worth considering.

I feel that it would be best to apply when you leave school or at the latest when you achieved A-Level qualifications as you will be an ideal candidate to join the company and pick up all the relevant skills. It also means that you will achieve a degree with the added bonus of 5 years’ experience in the industry. When you apply, if you are successful then you should attend an assessment center. It can be a good idea to look up some examples of the kind of tests and questions you will be asked on the day in preparation.