Category: Undergraduates

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A day in the life of a placement student in cyber security

Hi, I’m Maisie, a computer science student at Newcastle University. Last year I did a placement, working as a researcher at a cyber security company. This is a typical day in my life working remotely at the company.

8:00

I’d usually get up at this time and get ready for the day. My placement was remote so I didn’t have to get up too early!

9:00

At 9am, I’d start work for the day. I’d log on to my VM and Microsoft Teams as well as the other applications I needed for work. I’d then check my email and Teams, to check if I had any meetings that day as well as reply back to any messages.

After this, I would decide on what projects I wanted to work on for the day. I usually had a couple of projects on the go, so would decide on whichever was most urgent or relevant to research I had found. I would get up my code for that project and figure out what needed to be done. I would then write up my to do list for the day with the most important tasks to be completed.

9:30

After setting myself up for a good day, I would then start working. Usually I spent some time researching different libraries and new technologies that we could use to improve a project or solve a particular problem. I would spend some time reading the formal documentation, finding out about the technology, and ensuring it was suitable for projects.

10:30

At this time, I would usually have my morning call with my manager. I would talk through what I had been up to and the research I had found. Then I’d let him know my plans for the day and we’d discuss any new ideas for projects. If needed, he would also help me with any programming problems I had run into the previous day and give suggestions for possible solutions.

Sometimes I would be asked to quickly build small projects for other team members, such as test harnesses for other technologies created by the company. We would talk through the requirements of the program and I would prioritise completing that during the day.

11:00

Next I’d go downstairs and have a quick coffee break and say hello to my dog Ralph.

11:15

At this time, I was most productive after coffee! Usually I would start programming and getting most of my to-do completed for the day. I would try out the new technologies I had researched, using them to solve problems I had with my project.

If I had a project to create for a team member, I might also have a call with them at this time to learn more about the project requirements or to demonstrate how the project worked so far.

1:00

Then it was time for lunch!

2:00

In the afternoon, I would sometimes work on building demonstrations to show how new technologies could be used to benefit the company. This would usually involve building some test code to demonstrate how the technology worked. I would then record it and put together a demonstration video that could be shown to the sales team and higher management.

4:00

If I had time, I liked to end the day cleaning up my code and adding comments to make it more readable for others. This was an easy task to end the day, and would make it easier the next day to pick up from where I had left off.

4:30

I would usually have another quick call with my manager before the end of the day. I would talk through what I had achieved in the day and show him any code or demonstrations I had created. He would also help resolve any programming problems I had during the day.

5:00

The end of the work day, thanks for spending it with me!

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A day in the life of a placement student in AI

Returning from a year in industry with a company that specialise in artificial intelligence technology, we asked Joe what a typical Friday would look like during his remote placement.

8:30 am

As I was working remotely, a perk was having no commute time. This allowed me to get up at 8:30am and get ready for the work day starting at 9am.

9:00 am

At 9am, I would start work for the day and log on to Slack. I would continue working where I left off the previous day, which was usually continuing with an existing project. This could be a smaller project, such as benchmarking new libraries or open-source projects to compare with our existing projects. Alternatively, this could be a larger project which I would plan, develop and test, sometimes alongside the post-graduate student who joined the company at the same time.

11:00 am

After this, I would take a short break, where I would catch up with messages in the Slack chat. People would often post interesting articles related to work, which I would read at this time, or have general chat with coworkers about our current projects.

I would also have a listen to our work Spotify playlist and see if there were any new songs added.

11:30 am

At this time, I would have a weekly meeting with my line manager. During this, we would discuss my progress on my current projects and future plans for next week. On some projects, this would not be a one-on-one meeting and instead, a team progress meeting, typically with 3-4 people.

12:00 pm

I would usually take my lunch break at this time. However, it was flexible, so I could take it when it best fit my work schedule. I could also extend my lunch break, to go on a walk for example, and then work longer at the end of the day. Usually I would not do this on a Friday as I finish early anyway.

1:00 pm

After lunch, I would continue work for a few more hours. As these were my most productive hours, I would often focus on tasks such as the writing of formal documentation and presentations slides for clients. If not needed, I would just continue with my coding.

I also aimed to finish at a point where it would be easier to continue from later, such as completing a certain functionality. I would then write myself a quick note about my progression so I did not forget over the weekend. If I still had time to spare, I would then focus on cleaning up and commenting my code.

2:00 pm

At this time, I would have a meeting with my post-graduate coworker. We would catch up and discuss our progression with our projects and help each other with any problems we had encountered. Normally we would do this twice a week, often on a Friday as our work was winding down for the weekend.

3:00 pm

On a Friday afternoon, we would have a full company casual meeting. As there were 8 people in the company, we would each discuss interesting aspects of our work from that week, such as new progress and challenges overcome. We would also discuss more casual topics, such as our plans for the weekend and other general chat.

4:00 pm

On a Friday, we had an early finish for the weekend!

If you are interested in hearing more about Joe’s placement and how he found it, there is a separate blog post here.

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How my placement improved my university experience

Last year, I did a placement with a cyber security company. I found the experience extremely rewarding and that it benefitted my university experience when I returned for my final year of my computer science degree. This is a list of the advantages that my placement provided me with, that might convince you to complete one too. 

Finding my interests

Before starting my placement, I thought I might enjoy working in cybersecurity, but I had not had much prior experience in this field. My placement was an amazing opportunity to learn about what a career in this field involved and whether it was the right fit for me. I was able to learn about the different areas of cybersecurity and I found out what interested me the most. This helped me make a better, more informed decision when choosing my year 3 modules, as I already knew I would enjoy security and cryptography. It also helped me decide on my dissertation title as I had many topics of interest from my placement which I wanted to explore further.

Throughout my placement I was given the opportunity to learn about the different teams involved in the organisation, including research, software engineering and marketing. I could then determine which best suited me. By figuring out my career goals before finishing university, I am able to ensure my choices at university, such as modules and societies, align with these goals so I can better achieve them.

Applying theoretical knowledge

Throughout my placement, I was able to apply the theory I had learnt at university. This helped me gain a deeper understanding of the concepts I had studied, as I saw practical examples of how they were used and had experience building real systems.

Using my knowledge I had gained at university, I was able to create software prototypes for real customer requirements and test harnesses for the team to use. This was extremely rewarding, as I could directly see how my work was benefiting the company.

Networking and new opportunities

I was given the opportunity to meet lots of new people on my placement with different skills I was able to learn from. As well as helping me develop my technical knowledge, they gave me guidance and advice about my future career. Since returning to university, they have continued to support me, and have offered me a job starting after graduation. This was extremely beneficial to my university experience, as it helped reduce the pressure of looking for a job whilst studying. I am very grateful for their support, and learning from these individuals was probably the most rewarding part of my experience.

Gaining confidence

During my placement, I gained the confidence to work independently and as part of a team as my communication skills improved. I felt more confident working on team projects this academic year and took on a more leading role. I also had to deliver lots of presentations during my placement, a skill I have always found challenging but was able to develop throughout the year. I am now more confident in my ability and will use this new skill when giving my presentation for my dissertation.

Learning dissertation skills

During my placement I was able to gain new skills that I have since been able to apply at university. I learnt technical skills, such as becoming fluent in a new programming language, Golang, which I have continued to use at university and will use to develop my dissertation project. Additionally, I learnt new soft skills, including written communication skills and presentation skills. These skills directly relate to those needed for a university dissertation and will be extremely beneficial when I start.

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What to do the first week of your internship

When starting your internship, it’s important to make a good first impression and set yourself up for a good year. These are some things I wish I had known the first week of my internship to get the most out the experience. 

1. Get to know your role

It is important to know how your role fits into the company and what your responsibilities will be. It will help you meet and exceed your manager’s expectation and show that you are dependable and responsible. If not entirely clear from your job description, it’s perfectly okay to ask for clarification of what tasks are expected of you and the projects you will be working on. By learning what success looks like in your role, you are much more likely to achieve it and put forward your best work.

2. Start a ‘success’ document

Start creating a document for recording projects and tasks you have particularly enjoyed or succeeded at and how it impacted the company. It will help keep track of your achievements and can be used for a number of reasons. Firstly, it can be used when having check-ins with your manager, to show what tasks you have accomplished or how you have helped other team members. Alternatively, it could be used to reflect at the end of your internship, to demonstrate how you were successful in your role and how it has benefitted you and the company, to help gain a return offer. It could also be helpful for updating your CV after your internship or giving something to talk about during future interviews.

3. Introduce yourself to everyone

Try and get to know people during your first week. One way to remember everyone is by writing down their name and a brief description of their role after meeting them. People will appreciate you learning their name and it will help build friendships. It will also make it easier to initiate conversation in the future, such as when asking for guidance or advice, and help you to work better in a team.

Learning about peoples’ roles will help you learn more about the structure of the company and how it operates. By networking with others, you are more likely to be given the opportunity to work with other teams and gain new experiences and skills.

4. Learn the structure of your day

The first week of your placement is the perfect time to establish a good routine at work. To do this, learn how often to check-in with your manager, whether that should be daily or weekly, as well as other team members when collaborating. This will help you stay organised and better plan for these meetings.

As well as this, set up a routine for your own day for maximum productivity. This could be creating a list of daily objectives each morning, checking your emails at a certain times and using your most productive hours to complete more difficult tasks. This will help you stay focused and maximise your time.

5. Volunteer for projects

When possible, volunteer for projects at work. This will help you learn new skills and gain experience you might not otherwise get. It will show your enthusiasm for the role and your willingness to learn. You are also more likely to be remembered for future projects which could lead to more opportunities with the company. Your placement is what you make of it and you can get more experience by putting yourself out there and expressing what you want to do.

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Gaining experience for your CV

Finding an internship with no experience can be tricky, especially when applying to a big company. However, there are ways in which you can improve your CV at university without any prior experience and gain skills employers are looking for. 

Join a society

Joining a society can help develop many relevant skills for the workplace. Attending a career-based society will show your interest in the field beyond what you are learning on your course. It could also help you further develop your technical skills through different events such as Hackathons and Capture the Flags, which can also be written on your CV. Alternatively, applying for a role on a society committee will demonstrate leadership and organisational skills.

However, joining any society which you are interested in will demonstrate that you are a well-rounded individual and will help employers determine if you’d be the right fit for the company.

NUSU has two computer science related societies, Cyber Society and the Computing And Technology Society which are definitely worth joining if you haven’t already.

Virtual experience

Another way to gain experience is with virtual internships. Many big companies have courses which you can enrol on for free, including J.P.Morgan, Accenture and Visa. This will be advantageous if you decide to apply for internships at these companies, as you will have already demonstrated that you have the relevant skills they are looking for. It will also give a talking point in interviews and show you have taken initiative to learn more about the company.

Forage has an extensive catalog of virtual internships you can apply for. You can find out more from this blog post here.

Alternatively, Bright Network also has a virtual internship experience each year and many other events throughout the year with many big employees joining to give advice and network with. You can find them here.

They also have a list of employer-led career events which is worth checking frequently. You can find them here.

Volunteer

Volunteering is an opportunity to do good for your community whilst also gaining different experiences that you wouldn’t at university. It will demonstrate you have skills such as teamwork, communication, and self-motivation. You could volunteer in your field of study, using your technical skills to help others. This will show employers that you are passionate about your degree and want to expand your knowledge further. You will also have the opportunity to meet and network with other people in your local community with similar interests.

NUSU has plenty of different volunteering positions including technology-based roles, such as working as a STEM ambassador for the Altitude Foundation.

Create your own project

If you’re trying to show certain technical skills on your CV but aren’t sure how, you could create your own programming project to demonstrate these. This could be based on something you had learnt about at university and wanted to learn about further. Alternatively, this could be based on your interests outside of university. For example, producing a project to solve a problem. Either way, it helps an employer see what you are passionate about and shows interest beyond university study. These can be kept in a programming portfolio on Github to show your employer via a link.