My Placement Year at 15gifts
After a brilliant 18 months, I thought it would be time to reflect on my experience at 15gifts as their first placement student.
This month I’ll be heading back to the University of Brighton to the final year of my Computer Science degree.
I went into university with two years experience as an Apprentice Web Developer, whilst placements are great to see if this is the industry for you, I used my placement to see what area of software development I wanted to potentially specialise in, 15gifts gave me that opportunity and I’ve been able to work in both Front End and Back End development and both client facing and internal projects.
Rather than leaving after a year, I’ve offered the opportunity to complete my dissertation for the company and continue working in a part time capacity around my studies in addition to a clear path of progression for graduation and beyond with the company.
More Than Just a Year on Your CV
Culture
The company atmosphere is definitely one of the most attractive parts of the company and what has led to me having a great experience. I was invited to Friday drinks a few months before I was due to start which gave me a chance to meet everyone in a relaxed environment.
We have Food for Thought sessions where people will present internal or external topics over a free lunch ranging from story telling, how we present data and getting to know new team members.
We also have quarterly reviews where we reflect on the quarter just gone and what our strategy is for the next 12 weeks, we then have a team bonding exercise like raft building, volleyball or bowling.
Everyone is really accessible and even as a placement student I’ve been able to get stuck right in with contributing to and developing critical systems, that faith on the employees really promotes a supportive environment that breeds personal growth.
Whilst I’m excited to go back to university, I’m definitely going to miss being in the office everyday, especially as we’re due to move into some pretty awesome new digs soon!
If you’re looking to join a growing company with a great product and culture, head over to our jobs page.
