Junior Infrastrucutre Architect Review

I have completed various roles as part of my apprenticeship with IBM. My last and current role is working as an Infrastructure Architect. I work with my clients to understand business requirements and relate them to technical requirements in order to design a solution. Before this I worked as a hardware engineer.

IBM have put me through many courses both internally and externally, over the last year I have achieved my Prince 2 Practitioner certification, Agile Foundations and Security foundations. I am now on target to become an Experienced certified Architect this year. IBM is very good at setting out a path to follow with stepping stones along the way.

I enjoy the programme, very much. Upon joining I was given a lot of responsibility if I wanted it, but also the chance to learn and shadow others. I now work individually as part of a squad and am trusted to make decisions on client projects both large and small in scale.

I recently completed the programme, and I must admit that the a lot of it was very unclear at the time of completing my apprenticeship. However the Early Professionals team are amazing and my manager at that time worked very closely with me to ensure I progressed into the wider business.

As stated above, I received great support from my early professionals manager. I was also given a lot of free time in order to shadow others, and develop my skills. There were many residential courses in which you learn about how to deal with clients and present your ideas. You are also advised to reach out to contacts and regularly catch up with mentors.

I did not receive any support from the training provider, I only ever attended Highbury once, and that was for an exam. All of the support and training was handled in house by IBM. IBM provide residential courses when you join to cover the induction training and further courses to progress as an apprentice.

I do not feel that my qualification has actually helped at all with my role, I think the experience I have gained from the apprenticeship is the reason to apply. I think the role helps to back up some theory and ensure you have a very basic understanding, but I do not think I use in within my role.

There is always opportunity for extra-curricular actives. There are clubs which give big discounts to social events, and many opportunities to give back or volunteer. There is a link that will provide all the info you need to sign up to these, it could not be easier. I personally always enjoy representing IBM at the Corporate games each year.

Yes

I enjoy working for IBM, this includes the culture and the actual work itself. IBM gave me a chance when I was younger and invested a lot into my development. This allowed me to push to become an Infrastructure Architect. The experience I have gained on the job is so valuable and a lot of responsibility is given even as an apprentice.

Do your research on the company. IBM do not expect you to be experts in any field, but doing some research shows that you are prepared and keen to learn. Once on boarded make sure you take the opportunities available to you within foundation, there are so many courses and experiences available to you.