A Month with VI

I've been working at VI for a month now, fresh off the back of finishing my Computer Science degree and have had a great time getting stuck into things!

In the springtime of this year, it quickly became evident that in the midst of Covid-19, the Graduating class of 2020 was leaving the comfort of schooling and entering the working world in an especially uncertain and scary time. Securing and starting a Graduate role is something that can be daunting even under normal circumstances, which is why I was glad to secure my role at VI in just a few short weeks after finishing my degree. The experience of integrating into a new team with everybody being remote has been quite different compared to a ‘normal’, in-person settling in process while at an office. However, everybody in the team has been friendly and eager to help which has helped to iron out any bumps in the process and make things go well despite the circumstances.

I came into the role already having a good idea of how software development works on a commercial level and what it’s like to join a team as a relatively inexperienced developer, owing to the placement year I completed during my degree. However, this doesn’t mean I knew exactly what I was walking into (or more appropriately, remote desktopping into). My placement year was at a company much larger than VI, which naturally means that many things were different across all areas of working, from ‘softer’ things such as company culture to more technical aspects such as how software releases are managed. It’s been interesting to see the situations in which I can draw upon my previous experience in order to help me understand something or solve a problem.

Things here move very quickly compared to what I have been used to, if you told me before I started that I would have a code change done and released on my second day, I would have laughed in your face! This fast paced environment has made working here very enjoyable, I enjoy being challenged and having something to sink my teeth into so I often find my days going by in the blink of an eye because there’s always something engaging to be doing. Part of what was appealing to me when I applied to work here was how clear it was that the people here care about helping each other grow as developers and are passionate about the work and it’s been great to then join the team and experience this for myself. Coupling this with the friendly and helpful team that I’m working with, my first month here has been fresh, exciting and fun and I look forward to what lies ahead.