During my second year, I knew I had to do a year in industry because of all the benefits and knowledge I would gain. Whilst hunting for a placement, ProspectSoft stood out to me from the rest. Even during my interview, I felt so welcome and everyone was super nice. The last 10 months have just whizzed past and looking back at it now, I have learnt so much (more than what I would learn during my year at University!).

The first month was mainly training and learning about the business, and the software we develop such as the CRM, CMS etc. As an Assistant Web Developer, I was told I would be learning how to use the in-house Content Management System (CMS). This is the tool which the company uses to create and manage our websites and customer websites. After my initial training, I moved into the Projects department. At first, I worked on small tasks for customer’s websites such as updating pages with new content. I gradually started moving on to larger customer projects which involved new website development and styling. 

I have greatly improved my web skills and confidence with HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Along with these technical skills, I have also improved soft skills such as my creative skills and problem solving. What’s great about ProspectSoft is that even if I am stuck with an issue, I feel like I can ask anyone at any time for help so I can further improve my understanding. 

Aside from working on customer projects, I was given the opportunity to work on internal projects. This included the HUGE task of giving our company and placement website a modern and refreshed look. I have loved the independence given to me to work on the website and add improvements that I see fit. I have also worked on creating a brand-new services portal where customers can login to view useful articles, log issue tickets with tracking, access Virtual Machines and lots of other cool features.

Working as an Assistant Web Developer here at ProspectSoft is great because you get to learn so much. Seeing your work used and loved by customers for their own businesses is a great feeling too. I have really enjoyed my placement year, and I’m sad that it’ll be ending so soon! All the new skills which I have learned are a great asset for my final year for sure, so I would highly recommend doing a placement year!