software developer Review

I am a software developer apprentice, where I'm working for the company Monday-Thursday, and I use my Fridays to have the apprentice sessions. These Fridays I'm either at home working on my personal project that was set by my coach as a personal target, or attend lab sessions in central london where we can study with our coach face-to-face

I have developed languages I use at work such as React.js and from what I believe, they will be teaching us a new language in a few months, which I found out Sky does use in some areas within our code base, so it's a lucky coincidence that I can apply everything I learn

It's fun, however, I'm still quite young, so I often experience loneliness and jealousy from not going to university and have a better social life. The studying s very good, and the fact that we can ask for help from our coach whenever we need it is very helpful

It's quite well organised! Our coach plans ahead what will happen in each friday for the following couple months, is always on time for online meetings, and is very reliable when replying for emails. I do often feel like there is a lot to do within a small amount of time, which could be a bit better organised so we aren't short on time

My manager used to have 1-1 sessions with us but not anymore. I found those 1-1 sessions quite useful as he is very busy and can\t reply to emails very often, so those times were helpful for asking him any questions. However my team is extremely supportive of my work, and my scrummaster doesn't mind if I do sometimes use my work hours for apprentice projects, and my team even helps me out if I'm stuck :)

A lot! As I mentioned he is very reliable when answering to emails etc. I can also talk to him about personal issues such as how my mental health may affect my work ethic, which he completely understands, and supports me through it if I end up working slower than usual, or need to take my time out of labs to go to counseling

I don't think the qualification so far has helped me in my role, because i do learn most things at work, but it has made sense of what I learned. I often was coding not actually knowing why I do what i do. But during our apprenticeship lessons, I learned the logic of some code

There are activities I could do, but I don't feel like they are suitable for my age, who is still just looking to party sometime etc, and live a more stereotypical young 20s uni life. Most of these activities are for adults or families to which I don't often feel like attending

Yes

It's a lovely environment, very green, large working space you don't feel cramped, it's quite comfortable. There is great food and snack range in case you need something to grab to get you through the day, which I often do need! The sky benefits are also really great

Don't be afraid to ask questions and use google in interviews and assessment centres as they are looking for people who are resourceful rather than show-offs. With the coding tests if there is one, definitely follow the requirements, rather than show off unnecessary skills sky hasn't even asked for.