By Alicia Luong, Computer Science with Management BSc student.<\/p>\n
Hi, I am Alicia and welcome to my blog! I am currently in a placement in Rohde & Schwarz. I applied for the Bluetooth software engineering role, but I am also doing some Wi-Fi as well \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n
I first wanted to do a placement because in the tech scene, experience puts you in stepping stole. Software engineering roles these days are very competitive and oversaturated, I wanted to find a way to shine and make myself different. I also have been working hospitality part-time jobs my whole career, I wanted to start putting my course and hard skills to use.<\/p>\n
Rohde & Schwarz is a B2B company. My company is a private company that diversifies in many markets. I am working as a Bluetooth software engineer. What I usually do is code all types of languages, talk about Bluetooth and its new growing features. Bluetooth is growing so my team, and I are always busy doing something new; finding new ways to beat competitors, handling special client features, learning about topics that university doesn\u2019t teach you.<\/p>\n
The environment and workspace are very friendly. My office celebrates special events of all cultures (Diwali, Chinese New Year, Christmas etc.). We also have a sports and social club which is a subsidised club taking in all recommendations we have went from hiking, comedy club, paddle boarding etc. The workspace is very laid back; my manager wears graphic T-shirts and shorts (you can wear whatever you want). Working hours are very flexible, you are required to work 7.8 hours a day with core hours being 10-3.30, lunch being 12-2. This means some employees with children can start work at 7:30 and finish at 3:30 whereas night owls can start 10 finishes at 6. The core hours ensure people are around to help each other if needed. You also only need to be in office 2 days a week, but I really enjoy the workspace, so I come every day. Employees here work hard but make sure they enjoy their weekend, they manage stress very well which is a skill I want to emulate.<\/p>\n
I would say the 3 biggest things I have learnt so far from my placement is independence (I lead my own projects and make my own decisions, taking accountability) , professional communication (figuring how I can effectively persuade use of my project to team leaders and understanding workplace norms) and criticism (noting both positive and negatives to grow).<\/p>\n
Learning how to work in a team, software engineering group work in coursework projects have helped me get used to delegating tasks, working in unison and communicating effectively for an amazing product.<\/p>\n
Students should investigate the company and their values before going into a placement.<\/p>\n
3 words to summarise my experience,<\/p>\n
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