For instance, coding cool bespoke software which we sell to customers who use it in their live systems every day! The responsibility to produce products, independently, which are used by a variety of businesses is rewarding and gives me experience that I wouldn’t get in many other placement positions.

Aside from programming my job also includes talking to customers on the phone and solving any issues they get with our software. Interpersonal skills are therefore an important factor in my job and will be invaluable later on in my career.

Prospectsoft are excellent at taking you slightly out of your comfort zone and putting your skills to use in parts of the business you did not previous expect yourself to have a part in. With my professional telephone skills already nurtured by my work on support I was given sole responsibility of holding the interviews for next year’s selection of Technical Placements.

We received over 70 applications for next year’s Technical Placement position, I looked through CV’s, sent and marked tests and held telephone interviews with the candidates. This all whilst juggling my regular work on Support and writing software. This taught me to work to a high organisational standard to fit everything in. Busy, busy, busy.

After the last interview, I selected those who had impressed me most to attend an assessment day which I organised. The day went well and after supervising tests and team building activities and eating a nice lunch (the latter of which was definitely my favourite part) a selection of candidates were selected to have interviews with the potential of a job at the end.

But the life of a placement is not all work. We recently had the ProspectSoft Christmas party, we sledged down the slippery slopes of the Milton Keynes snow dome. Crashing and colliding, racing solo, in teams, backwards, spinning and falling over one another, we all had a great time, and it was great to spend time with everyone outside the office, and in the snow! And I won’t mention the party afterwards…

Now I must go, it’s Secret Santa in the office today, and we’re about to start opening our presents!