Degree Apprentice Review

I am part of a technology team that provides applications and services to maintain and improve client relationship management techniques. Day-to-day I help to answer questions from our users on our application and help them to resolve the issue. Parts of my day also involve developing my technical skills through coding on my project and undergoing online courses.

I have developed my existing skills through internal sessions to enhance confident speaking and presentation skills. Every day at work I am improving my team work skills by working with a range of experienced colleagues, each with unique working styles. This has helped me start developing my own efficient working style. I have also learnt many new skills such as; writing programs in Java and C# both from university and work, experiencing the system development life cycle first-hand and applying theory learnt in lectures to real projects at work.

I am truly enjoying the program as both the company’s inclusive, friendly culture and support of the university lecturers and advisors support, made me feel instantly at ease through the transition. The multitude training sessions and events which were organised for us internally in GS, really made it easier at the beginning to adjust and prepare for work and university life. Furthermore integration into my team has been great as everyone is supportive and willing to answer any questions I have, and guide me with valuable feedback. This is too reflective of university who have been great in making us aware of resources available to us and encouraging us to be involved in university events aswell.

I feel valued at Goldman Sachs particularly due to the emphasis on regular feedback and progression of each individual as a key part of the culture. Through weekly catch-ups with my manager, we can both recognise areas where I am doing well but more crucially areas which will develop and improve with time. I value the advice given to me from experienced professionals as well as I feel valued with the amount of interest, support and guidance my colleagues invest in the projects I work on and my broader development in the firm.

I think that the programme has been exceptionally well structured in regards to the two days at university and 3 days at work. I think that the sessions Goldman Sachs that ran throughout the first three months were really well organised and catered to both work and university topics, giving us a solid foundation to build upwards from. I think that Queen Mary’s has also organised the programme well by giving us three modules which we can focus on and apply to work at the same time.

The weekly meetings with my personal advisor are beneficial as we can discuss any current worries or issues regarding work or university, for instance checking any queries we have regarding coursework or the lectures. My advisor is really great in providing me with informed, honest advice. Also I think that one of the greatest supports she provides me with in particular is, being able to discuss future happenings, such as summer exam revision periods and procedures well in advance. This is great support as I feel fully prepared for when time comes.

The support I receive from Goldman Sachs is of abundance. Each of us have a manager, a buddy, a mentor and HR representatives. All of whom are approachable for the appropriate type of support. With regular catch-ups with my buddy, mentor and manager, there is always someone for me to express my achievement s or any difficulties with. Furthermore, technical support and advice from my team members, last year’s apprentices and graduates, are always open to me, so any difficulties I experience when writing code there is someone to talk to having worked on something similar themselves.

I did not move out, hence the only cost I have is commuting on the trains. This takes me an hour to work and an extra half an hour to university. I try to not waste this time by doing wider reading on current university modules or a new concept introduced to me at work. Occasionally there is the social cost where a university society event is held during the days that I am at work. This is not a worry for me as I just focus on attending the events held in the evenings after work, or during the days I am on the university campus.

With a regular schedule in place, I am now able to incorporate more leisure activities into my evenings and weekend. I allow time for leisure activities in the evenings after work, such as reading or crocheting, or meeting with friends. And on the weekends I like to go swimming. There are university societies which have voluntary initiatives to help the community and I make an effort to participate in them if they are outside work hours. Also Goldman Sachs has a charity day which I am looking forward to participating in.

Yes

I would definitely recommend Goldman Sachs to friends because of its people and their ethos. Every person you meet is so friendly, encouraging and supportive of this program and they just want to help each other to grow. Initially, it is daunting knowing little about the industry and business but the immense amount of learning resources, both the people and documentation within the firm, helps you to understand it in no time. I would recommend Goldman Sachs because the employees are experts in their fields and so you would have the best quality advice and guidance. Also work life becomes much more interesting when working with such diversity around you, as you learn new things about different cultures that you may never have known.

The piece advice I would give to others applying to Goldman Sachs, as cliche as it sounds, is to be themselves. Goldman Sachs values people’s individualities and unique skill sets and so by bringing something different to the team but having the same values and ethics that the firm holds, is a great starting point. During interviews as well as showing that you have the technical skills, also show that you have the social skills too as the firm encourages networking and being able to easily work next to different people and teams easily.