In the second year of studying Maths at the University of Warwick, I decided that I’d like to spend the summer getting some experience in Software Development, so I started looking for summer internships in the field. I didn’t have much coding experience, so I needed to find somewhere willing to give plenty of training and support whilst also allowing me to apply my mathematics and problem solving skills. Autodesk seemed like the perfect place for me. The software they were writing required strong analytical skill and they were offering 2 weeks of dedicated training in C++ as well as continued support afterwards.
After completing the training course, I was placed in one of the software development teams and starting working on a real-world project that would be used in their software release. It was a great feeling knowing that the work I was doing was having a real impact on the company. I was assigned a supervisor who was always willing to answer questions, give feedback and point me in the right direction when I got stuck. This was especially helpful for me as it allowed me to develop my C++ skills quickly whilst doing interesting work.
Towards the end of my 10-week internship I was offered a full time position at the company after graduating. I had really enjoyed learning lots over summer and I liked the relaxed working environment, so I was happy to accept.
When I returned after graduating in Summer 2016, a full office refurbishment was well underway. I got the chance to do several 10-week placements in different departments before joining a permanent team. Doing rotations gave me exposure to what the company was doing and allowed me to see which departments were best suited to me.
Over my first year here I have really seen the benefit of working for Autodesk. Being a large company, there are lots of opportunities to develop your career through professional training courses and guidance from your manager. It also brings great benefits like opportunity for travel, a good bonus scheme, medical insurance, paid gym membership, an employee shares scheme and good holiday allowance. At the same time, being part of a small team means my work is valued, and the Birmingham office has a strong community feel. There are lots of social events going on regularly, as well as big events like the Christmas party and graduate socials, many of which are paid for or subsidised by the company.
