Graduate Software Engineer Review

I work as a software engineer doing 4 rotations over 2 years. In my day-to-day writing code for the team that I'm working with, reviewing the code of other engineers, and taking part in the meetings that the team uses in the agile process. These include daily standups, fortnightly retros and breaking down tickets.

I have learnt a lot of new skills, including Test Driven Development, pair programming and learning javascript and about front-end development. I have extended my skills in writing code to production quality, and learnt about new patterns for writing software. I have also learnt a lot about the infrastructure behind the code, using AWS. I have been on training courses for scala and Spark EMR for big data, and several AWS courses.

I really enjoy the program. Everyone I have met at the BBC has been welcoming and friendly, and the two teams I've worked in have been very good at getting me up to speed with what they work on. I have learnt a lot and have been able to try out different areas of software engineering - going from a big data team to a full-stack team. The work is engaging and follows best-practices.

The programme is well structured. We were given a week's training when we first started, introducing us to the BBC and to the basics of software engineering. Within the teams we do rotations in, we set targets with our designated manager/mentor. These are then reported back to the scheme manager, who meets with us every couple of months and checks up on the targets. We are allowed to take part in BBC training sessions that we are interested in signing up for and have some sessions organised for us.

The scheme manager meets with us every couple of months to make sure we are on track with targets and don't have any issues with the team. I haven't had to deal with HR too much, but when I was sorting out a travelcard loan, it was straightforward. In the team I have a designated mentor that I meet with every two weeks, and the rest of the team is equally supportive and happy to help with any issues.

I'm given a lot of training and support from the provider. The scheme manager ensures that I am on target with my goals and makes sure we are happy with our team. I've never had to, but I've been told I can email her any time if I have an issue within my team too.

The training I've done has helped me learn about various aspects of software engineering, including Test Driven Development, Amazon Web Services, and user experience and design. These have all been useful at different parts of my time in the teams and helped me understand the role and industry better.

There is a BBC Club which has a number of events and runs classes such as yoga or language lessons. I also know of a BBC Running Club that meets at lunch times and goes for runs. We also have activities within the team. I play touch rugby at lunchtimes with my previous team, go for runs with some of the members of my team and go for drinks or to play video games with my current and previous teams

Yes

It is full of friendly people that are very good at what they do and want to help others to learn. The culture is one of learning with everyone doing training often, unlike some workplaces, doing training is very much encouraged. It is also amazing to work for an institution like the BBC that is so widely known and has a social responsibility that it takes seriously.

It is important to show that you are interested in what you are applying for, not just in a professional capacity but also outside of the work. Also don't be afraid to admit you don't know the answer to something, but show a willingness to learn about it.