Sink or swim?
EEE in the real world 16 February 2018
Starting your placement year is somewhat similar to your first day at a new school. Everybody already knows each other and you have a desire to be the ‘cool new kid’. However, in the case of a work placement year, my desired look is smart and intelligent. I felt I needed to prove that everything I said at my interview was true. I think I managed to do this by diving right in-to my placement, but there were definitely some sink rather than swim moments to begin with.
The first hurdle I had to overcome was looking good on my first day at work. And every day after that as well! Whether we like it or not, your appearance is one of the first impressions you will make on the people you meet.
However, dressing to impress where the average temperature is 10 degrees is not something I’m used to. Coming from Zimbabwe where room temperature is 25 degrees and then living in Manchester where the weather is a lot wetter and colder was quite an adjustment. It was then a further adjustment moving to London. The two pairs of leggings and fluffy winter Christmas jumper I used to wear to lectures just wouldn’t cut it. Despite my predicament, I think I managed to look good at work!
The second hurdle was making friends – at work, I see this as an extreme sport. There is a level of precision, practice and patience that you need to have. Unlike starting at university, not everyone is as lost as you are and looking to make friends.
You need to use precision in choosing who to approach or you’ll end up telling your future boss about your crazy night out. Practise introducing yourself to people you don’t know because you will be doing a lot of that in your first couple of days. I had mine down to a science: Name, Job Title and University. Just enough information to not scare someone off. Lastly and most importantly you need to be patient. Friendships aren’t formed in a day. On my first day of work, I met a fellow industrial placement student at the induction. Using my Precision, Practice and Patience rule I managed to convince her to have lunch with me on the first day. Not bad!
One of the major differences about the work you do at university and the work you do on placement is that your work is now used in the real word. In assignments, getting 80% on your report is fantastic news. Work is different. You need to get full marks a 100 per cent of the time. Heaven forbid that a building falls over because of me! It really teaches you to check your work, then check it again, then check it another three times. I’m pretty sure this level of accuracy will prove useful when I go back to writing code at university.
Another important aspect of work are the socials. They aren’t nearly as crazy as the socials that you have at university that can last until 3 am but they are still equally enjoyable in their own respect. You get to socialise with people at all levels of leadership in the company. It’s the perfect opportunity to demystify the myth of your boss’s favourite food. Although it is still a work event, it’s important to be yourself and make friends!
Starting work has definitely been a good mix of short circuits and successfully compiling code, but a worthwhile experience none the less. I can’t wait to find out what more lessons the placement has in store for me.
Roberta
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