What's it like to be a Year-in-Industry Software Engineer at ONS?

With our 2023 Software Engineer Year-in-Industry (or SWE-YiI for short - catchy I know!) campaign going live, I thought it was a great excuse to sit down with a couple of our current Year-in-Industry employees to find out a little about them and how they've found the experience so far.

First of all, to introduce our interviewees!

We have Gaia Lo Giudice , an MSc Computing student from 英国卡地夫大学 , and Sanjeev Srithevan , a BSc Software Engineering student from University of Portsmouth . They joined our 2022 programme and started with us in September last year, so are coming up on 6 months in the organisation. Thanks again for sharing your time & experiences with us.

Without further ado, let's get on with the questions!

How are you finding the Year-in-Industry so far?

Gaia: So far, the Year-in-Industry has been full of stimulating challenges that have enriched me. This experience is giving me a real insight into the industry and the job role. This placement is allowing me to put into practice the knowledge that I gained during university and get first-hand experience.?

Sanjeev: The Year-in-Industry is going really well. ONS did a great job from start to finish, from the application process, interviews to getting us started in Newport to begin working. My mentors have been great and the buddy system in place for Year-in-Industry students is the best as you have someone officially allocated to you as a mentor. I am learning things otherwise I wouldn’t have learnt in university or even know about. The best part is being able to contribute to something that affects everyday people in the UK while gaining valuable experience at the same time.

How have ONS been as an employer so far?

Sanjeev: ONS as a employer has been amazing so far, no wonder they are always coming number 1 in places to work in the UK, as Glassdoor reviews show. As a employer it’s been treating me and others I know within the organisation well, with no issues.

Gaia: ONS are a great employer, and I am under the impression that they care about their employees. For example, I find it great that all employees are invited to monthly meetings where they have a chance to ask questions to the directors and managers.

Also, the flexible working scheme is designed to help employees achieve an excellent work-life balance.

Last but not least, I am impressed by the culture of inclusion and respect for diversity. As a software engineer woman with childcare responsibilities and diverse heritage, I feel that I have been valued and allowed to work without being discriminated against. I am not surprised that ONS has recently been named one of the best places to work in the UK in 2023.

Are you planning to stay with us as an employee after the Year-in-Industry programme?

Gaia: Yes, I am planning to stay after my Year-in-Industry as I can see myself here for the long-term.

Sanjeev: I would love to stay with ONS after Year-in-Industry as I see no reason to leave an organisation where it’s constantly trying improve the life of their employees. I love my team and the challenging projects and problems we get to work on.

Has anything about the Year-in-Industry surprised you? What was it?

Sanjeev: So far what surprised me the most is how coding in university differs drastically to how we code within the industry, particularly in a government organisation where we are working with sensitive data a lot of the time. Learning the best practices in the organisation has been amazing, whether it’s coding or writing documentation, something you don’t learn by doing your own personal projects or at university.

Gaia: One of the main things that surprised me has been the way the Year-in-Industry has been organised. Comparing my experience to fellow students who are doing their placement in other companies, my on-boarding process has been very smooth. Months before starting, I was provided with all the information that I needed and was able to ask some questions. Definitely, there is lots of effort and coordination behind this programme.

What does an average week look like for you at work?

Gaia: A typical work week for me starts either in my office at home or at Newport. Every day, I start by checking my emails and calendar to see what meetings are scheduled. In our team we use Scrum methodology, so I attend our daily stand-up meeting, which is a great chance to tell the others about the progress of my tasks.

During the week, there may be other meetings – e.g. Sprint Retro at the end of a sprint – as well as time that I dedicate to coding, testing, reviewing and completing my tasks. Sometimes I work on tasks independently and other times I am involved in pair programming. In addition, I set two hours per week as protected learning time that ONS kindly allow us, so that I can expand my knowledge for my personal development.?

Sanjeev: Let’s say no week is the same. Sometimes you're maybe just in a lot of meetings trying to figure out a problem or set a plan to move forward with a project or task. Other times you might end up coding most of the week, which us as engineers love to do. Some weeks you can be trying to learn a new technology or up-skill on something you are interested using your protected learning time.

Do you feel this has been a valuable opportunity for you?

Gaia: Absolutely yes. I have learned a lot of things since I started just 6 months ago, and I am aware that I could not have learned so much if I had not chosen this placement. ONS is a prestigious organisation dealing with projects that have national impact. This means that I am exposed to a variety of technical tools and learning opportunities that have added invaluable skills to my profile.

Sanjeev: I think this has been a exciting and valuable opportunity for me as the experience I am gaining can only be gained in the industry and not in university.

Why did you originally apply for our Year-in-Industry?

Sanjeev: I was contacted by a recruiter from the ONS and I decided to research more into what the ONS is and what do they do and I immediately felt that it can be organisation that will be suitable for myself. Throughout the application process the recruiter was really helpful in providing so much information about the role, which gave me the information I needed to be able to apply.

I joined the ONS for mainly 3 different reasons. One of the biggest reasons was the flexibility we have within the organisation when it comes to the way of working such as hybrid working, working in the office or from home. Another reason is how ONS prioritises work life balance and for this reason it?always ranks one of the best places to work on Glassdoor. Finally, how much impact ONS has on the population of the UK, as I am proud and happy to be working for an organisation which has a direct impact on the nation from what we do.

Gaia: I decided to apply for the Year-in-Industry at ONS because I knew it would allow me to progress and develop my career as well as contribute to an exciting industry with national impact. Also, when Darren Weeks made a presentation during an online career fair hosted by Cardiff University, I was enticed by the opportunity that the Year-in-Industry gives students to grow professionally within ONS even after the placement year. I believe that the possibility of progressing in my career within ONS is great.

What’s been your favourite part of your experience with us so far?

Gaia: Hard to choose only one. I can see how much I have changed professionally in the past 6 months and how much satisfied I am with what I have achieved so far. I love the fact that I am gaining valuable experience and am able to create something new every day. I love my team and the positive working environment I work in. I love that I can achieve a reasonable work-life balance, and the sense of inclusion and respect for diversity that I have never experienced in my other previous companies and job roles.?

Sanjeev: My favourite experience has been so far is that within 6 months I learned two different tech-stacks and worked on several projects. I learned so many new technologies that I didn’t know and hadn't worked with before. More than anything, learning best practices of working on a project has been amazing.

How supportive are we? – both with the work we assign you and work for your degree

Sanjeev: ONS and my team has been very supportive in mentoring me and working with me to find out my strengths and putting my skills to use. The mentorship part of the industrial placement is extraordinary helping me better prepare for my final year of university and the industry.

Gaia: So far, I have felt very supported. Even before my official start date, I was contacted by my line manager and tech buddy to ensure that I could have a smooth start. The expectations that others have when assigning me work are perfect for my level. This allows me to achieve my goals and objectives, and push me to go a bit beyond and grow as well. I have experienced no pressure so far and everyone is always available to help when necessary.

What skills have you picked up since starting with us??

Gaia: Since starting, I have acquired both technical and soft skills. Regarding technical skills, I have improved my existing programming language skills. Also, I have learned completely new tools and have become more familiar with testing, cloud computing platforms, databases and pipeline platforms.

Regarding my soft skills, I have developed my autonomy, problem-solving, teamwork, communication, social, and interpersonal skills. For example, I am now able to communicate and present technical information through demos to users, and leading meetings such as Sprint Retros and stand-up.?

Sanjeev: I have picked up so many skills! When it comes to technical skills, I've learned TypeScript, React, Flask, AWS, CI/ CD and working with Design Systems to name a few. More than the technical skills, the soft skills (such as pitching a new idea to the team and working with stakeholders) have been noteworthy as these skills cannot be gained in university. I've learned so much about how a project is run and all the non-technical work that goes on to make sure it's completed effectively, such as the coordination of the multiple teams, workshops and presentations (technical and non-technical) that take place.

Thanks again to Sanjeev and Gaia for giving so much information and detail about their experiences so far.

Click here if this sounds of interest to read through the full ad, benefits pack and to apply! We've also got a webinar coming up that will give even more detail and give you the chance to ask us questions about the Year-in-Industry directly.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to leave a comment or send me a message ??