Software Engineer Review

The week is structured as 2 days at university and 3 days at work (during term time), and 5 days working full time out of term time. The university days are as a typical university day would be. A combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials and labs. Some modules are shared with full time university students, whilst others are ‘work based’ so involve some interaction with our work at the firm. Whilst at work a typical day involves meetings with my team, catch ups with a wide variety of people, and working on a given project, the nature of which will vary depending on your team.

As someone who had previously studied computer science at school I feel I have learnt far more in the work place than at uni, however uni is really good for consolidating and building on any prior knowledge (or building this from scratch if you have no prior experience). I have learnt a vast amount from both a tech point of view, and the basics from a more financial point of view too.

I thoroughly enjoy the programme. I really do feel that this combination between work and uni is the best of both worlds. The uni days are perfect opportunities to get a feel for student life, whilst the work days allow you to see how computer science can have a real world impact. The culture at GS is really good, everyone is really helpful at approachable, and people are very supportive of the apprenticeship scheme as a whole.

There is a very clear divide between work and uni, and there is never an expectation to do any work related tasks on the uni days (at least in my personal experience). There is a lot of support within the firm, from older apprentices, managers, mentors and wider teams to help you really settle in at the start, and this support does continue throughout the program. There have been some occasions where the communication between work and uni has been slightly lacking (e.g. term and exam dates), but this has not caused any issues.

My managers have always been extremely supportive, they are all fully on board with the apprenticeship, and ensure all tasks are manageable, and offer help and guidance where needed. We are also assigned mentors and buddy's to help guide us with any other issues we are experiencing (e.g. apprenticeship specific problems).

As some modules are combined with fulltime computer science students, there is sometimes a lack of understanding that we have a different structure, and naturally as the lecture groups are fairly large you may need to actively seek any support needed, or explain that we are not at uni 5 days a week. However there are a few lecturers who are really aware of the apprenticeship program and give as much support as they can. I do feel that as the program is evolving and growing people within the uni are becoming more and more aware of it.

Personally in first year I felt this was the other way around, and that what I was learning at work was really helping at uni. However now I feel that a lot of my uni modules help to give me a wider understanding which can be applied to work. Naturally uni is preparing you for a wide range of career opportunities, so some modules may not directly apply to the current team you are working in (but it likely will if/when you work in a different team/company).

There is a wide range of social activities at work, both with specific teams, or open to everyone at the firm. These activities are organized by various groups within the firm, and are an amazing opportunity to widen your network and meet a lot of different people. There is also the opportunity to join societies through uni too (however there are some slight limitations with which days the societies run on due to not being at uni full time).

Yes

I thoroughly enjoy being able to see what I am learning at uni and work actually have an impact in the real world. The culture of GS is very supportive, and I feel like this has truly helped me to integrate into the team, and the firm as a whole. There are also a fair few apprentices on the scheme which I think adds to not only the social element, but also helps as we can support each other.

Be eager to learn. There is always something new to learn or someone new to talk to, so be excited to absorb as much knowledge as possible. Also don't be afraid to ask questions, everyone is so helpful and it shows that you really do have an interest and a passion for what you do.