Alongside the wide range of careers support on offer at King’s, the Faculty of Natural & Mathematical Sciences also offers some courses which provide an opportunity for students to spend a year in industry, providing practical real-world experience from a range of fields to complement and enhance your academic studies.
Curious about what a year in industry is like, and if it’s worth it? Have a look below for top tips and thoughts about the experience from Computer Science students who have recently completed their placements!
One of the best decisions I made during my degree was choosing to do a year in placement. Working for a whole year as a software engineer in a team gave me more confidence in my skills, allowed me to relax by not having exams for a year, and helped me realise that I do actually enjoy practising the skills I learn at university. The placement year made the final year less stressful as I already had practical skills that I could use for my final year project, and I was also offered a graduate entry-level job as a result of the internship!
– Ana, placement at Nomura
Do it. It’s the best piece of advice I can give you. Don’t be afraid to meet new people and get involved in projects. While it has its ups and downs, having a taste of the industry feels very rewarding and gives you a sense of maturity.
– Miruna, placement at Vodafone
I enjoyed the lively environment of working and being able to have real impact on a product that is used by people. If you plan to enter the industry, as a software engineer real industry experience is a must, and nothing is better a placement year
– Mahyad, placement at Loop (mobile phone application)
The placement will provide valuable perspective, every experience was a valuable lesson.
– Munkhtulga, placement at Bank of America Merrill Lynch
I had the opportunity to work in a fast-paced, dynamic team facing challenging problems on a daily basis. I was able to greatly develop my technical and soft skills as well as enhance my network. Receiving an offer at the end of the placement helped ease the pressure in my final year and rewarded me for the work I put in. I highly recommend a placement year to all students; it’ll help improve your skills, confidence and allow you to better understand your ambitions for a future career.
– Nalintha, placement at J. P. Morgan
My favourite part about my placement was the amount of responsibility I was trusted with, and the many doors that this experience has opened. Despite being new to the team and the working world in general, I was trusted with very important deliverables and my input in terms of the way we worked was accepted and implemented. Following on from placement year, my manager offered me an extension to work throughout the summer until university started. I also took on his offer to work part-time there throughout my final year, and am still employed there today (although they let me take time off for exams).
I was encouraged to apply for the company’s graduate scheme during my placement year, and feel that my deep knowledge of the company (having already worked there for the best part of two years and knowing the company values while being able to provide actual examples of my achievements) gave me a huge advantage which ultimately may have got me the job.
I would definitely recommend taking a placement year as it helps you to understand the purpose of the subject you are studying, how it can be applied in industry as well as make friends and connections that can last you a lifetime. In my case, it gave me an excellent graduate opportunity which I look forward to starting in September.
– Mert, placement at GlaxoSmithKline
Read more…
Learn about Mariam’s experience with the King’s Entrepreneurship Institute
Find out about how King’s has supported Olga’s career ambitions in research
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