software engineer Review

My team is responsible for developing and maintaining Commercial Banking Core Banking and Payments related applications. My role would be to design, develop, test and deploy technical solutions within the my area of the business. The job involves using a very old language called COBOL. It's interesting and hopefully not too difficult.

I was never in a corporate environment before this job. It has taught me a lot not only about my job but how the world of corporate life works too. I have learnt more technical skills which involves learning different coding languages but i have also developed my current skills like leading meetings.

I enjoy my programme as it allows me to essentially start from the beginning. I enjoy the journey of where i started and where ive finished. I can look at the progress ive made and be able to learn from the journey. I've been able to attend some very interesting events like a hackathon and i get to meet some amazing and interesting people.

the programme overall is okay. I would prefer small changes which are not directly related to the programme but the programme delivery company. As a whole however, the structure is well organised and the tutors are very knowledgeable in their area.

My employer and more specifically my team are amazing when it comes to support. If there is anything i need to support my learning, they are there for me and will allow me to direct my learning. I have their full backing and support as well as the vast resources my company offers.

My training provider offers training days however they are quite long days. This can be slightly detrimental to the learning done in the evening as by that time there are a few people that are burnt out. As for general support, they are very good. If you need help doing any tasks, they will try their best to support you and your learning.

My role involves using programming languages. My training provider runs multiple training days throughout the year. During these training days, we are taught different programming languages. The training provider unfortunately does not have any courses for my specific language however all the other languages they teach are used by the other apprentices within their roles.

Within my organisation, there is plenty to do. There are many networking events that are taking place. There is a hackathon where you can meet other areas of the business to see what they do and there is a big social after this. There are also casual work activities. I play football on a weekly basis but there is plenty more going on.

Yes

they have amazing support. for example, i was not able to join on my initial starting date and so they did all they could to allow me to join at a later date. The support you get from your team too is also incredible. They gave me all i needed whenever i needed it.

If you feel like it is overwhelming to start with, don't worry. You will have plenty of time to learn everything. If you feel like you aren't doing any work, again give it time. Focus on your learning and the rest will fall into place. Most importantly, meet as many people as you can and get out there.