Infrastructure technician Review

I have several meetings in the morning including Ops meetings to discuss issues, plans and concerns. After this, in between meetings, I complete work based on which is due. Examples include: completing a report on user license information and completing proposals for which software to consolidate if there is cost saving.

Before joining I did not know what SharePoint was, now I am an admin (albeit helping with the basic tasks) of this and responsible for assisting with other third party apps. I had never touched the CLI or powershell but have had to learn some commands to fulfil my role as a technician. I have been developing my experience with research and identifying patterns (a lot of data analysis) when concerning software consolidation as I need to understand overlapping functions and use cases for each

I have a lot of freedom to go towards more coding or if I want to stick to more GUI based work. Very much enjoy the programme as some skills learnt in the job are supplementary while also being not directly related to the courses I am learning

I clearly know when I can finish the programme and what courses/coursework I need to complete. I have now in fact finished my apprenticeship as well sooner than the course expectations

I have a lot of independence but know where to go if I get stuck. Due to being in a corporate setting it is almost expected to ask for help, even some senior managers will ask for support from me as they do not know who to contact etc. There are some staff I will not go to as I know this may not be their speciality ( I will ask the windows expert for windows support and ask the oracle expert for oracle support) There is also a forum for apprentices to discuss challenges and issues with a manager who can provide assitance

They have a portal with lots of additional courses I can complete if I get stuck. They have clearly set out which exams I will be taking and if I do not understand the course they can offer revision sessions which are a little bit shorter but condensed. I have regular contact with my supervisor who is able to answer most queries and guide me to getting the best grade possible

Some qualifications gained have directly assisted in my job as they are related ( I work in the cloud team and an exam was on the cloud) however some are not as the content of the training are remnants from how IT was 10 years ago. The training can feel outdated as there has been a sudden shift towards the cloud and away from physical infratructre

There is a social event fortnightly for some of the other apprentices, as well as occasional outings with the team. each year there is a christmas party as well as a summer party and winter party where the families of the colleagues can attend also

Yes

One of the best work-life balances I have seen in a company, I know of some colleagues who work early in the morning then drop their kids off at school, come home and work more then pick their kids up at school and do more work after. The perks are also very good as the provided laptop is very fast and accessories are readily available. The management is very knowledgeable and active

Instead of thinking why would a company hire me, instead consider why should they NOT hire me. That way you can show them why not hiring you would be a mistake on their part and you can focus on showing what value you will bring to the table rather than just trying to impress them. If you have shown your value effectively they will naturally be impressed.