IT Apprentice Review

Currently a cloud engineer working in the sysops team which is part of a larger function that enables scientific projects. I work with aws to create and maintain scalable IT infrastructure, whilst also getting involved in monitoring metrics and performance. Day to day I use the command line interface to interact with various aws services.

I have learnt to use the command line interface which is a linux based system to do my day to day work and from that I can expand my skills by using linux in various ways demanded by the tasks I complete. Also, I have developed skills using AWS itself.

I enjoy the technical aspects of my role as it helps me feel confident in specialising in an area that I enjoy and can be uniquely challenging. The university projects cover a wide variety of areas that allow me to have a broad knowledge base from which I can apply to my work.

The program has improved its structure since I started as an apprentice, providing a much more stable path through the course of the 4 year program by offering more time to consolidate in a role. The university and work have also been very accommodating during the unusual circumstances, which shows how well organised the course has been.

In general the support has been very good as we are given plenty of time to work on assignments within work and also actively helped by other colleagues. During work I feel the right amount of responsibility is given to me and allows me to ask questions around my work without feeling pressured to do it myself.

In general the support has been very good as we are given plenty of time to work on assignments and also actively helped by other colleagues. During university the lecturers are helpful and respond quickly to emails. There are also extra support sessions provided on the weekend, which help motivate me near assignment deadlines.

The education we receive at university is often relevant to my role or if not directly relevant it gives me a broader knowledge of areas I am interested in which will help me understand more technical aspects of my role by providing greater context. Even if it is not relevant to a current role it may be more useful in a role I move to.

There are facilities for football and other sports, where organised events happen. Although informal social events also happen often enough. There are also many workplace pages where people express shared interests and organise meet ups. Networking events are good for experiencing more work orientated activities along with hackathons that may also expand my knowledge base.

Yes

Based off of my experience within IT AstraZeneca has a very welcoming atmosphere and encourages learning, while also being very flexible in accommodating employees needs. My work is very engaging as I like the technical aspects of the role, however after experiencing other areas of IT I can recommend them as being interesting and engaging as well.

Enjoy the work you are doing as this will show through in your enthusiasm to the role and don't be afraid to ask questions as the business is complex and can be quite daunting at first. Presentation skills are also important, as with any job, however being a very good presenter can help convey your enthusiasm to your work.