Rucha Mandar Gothoskar, 4th Year Computer Science Student

What motivated you to apply for a placement year in the first place?

I wanted to gain experience in the technical industry and learn the skills used by professionals. This would help me with employability and my final year at university.

How did you find your placement and what made you choose this particular organisation?

I chose this organisation as I wanted experience in financial technology and the corporate industry in general. My overall experience was insightful. I learned from a lot of brilliant people, and most importantly, I met new people and made some good friends.

What were your expectations going into the year, and how did the reality compare?

My expectations was that it would be a lot of solitary work for me but even though I was coding by myself, I was still part of a team and that made a big difference - the fact that I had other people whom I could rely on and they could rely on me.

Can you describe your main responsibilities during your placement?

I was part of a Scrum team and did development alongside others in my team, mainly using Scala. I helped with automating reconciliations to find issues quickly and efficiently. I also helped with the communications and offered support during releases.

Which tasks or projects did you enjoy the most, and why?

The tasks I enjoyed the most were the ones where the additions I made to the system was impactful and involved a lot of testing and communication. Hard work pays off.

Was there anything you found unexpectedly challenging?

Something I found challenging was just getting used to how the business works, how quick-paced everything is, it took some time for me to get used to that pace.

What’s one moment you’re particularly proud of from your placement?

It would be when I finished working on my reconciliation task and it was actively being used by my other teammates. It felt like I made a difference.

Did the placement influence your career goals or future plans?

This placement increased my interest in financial technology as I got to learn about the business as well through my team. I think it is a good place for me to start my career journey.