Career Profiles - Work Experience

Some of our undergraduate students take leave of absence for a year between their second and third year because they have arranged a one-year work placement or traineeship out in industry. This is not a compulsory part of the degree programme, but the Department is happy to consider a leave of absence for any student who has invested time in setting up a work placement with a company within the information/business sector and which it considers will complement the student's degree studies. A recent graduate who took the opportunity to undertake some work experience details his experience:

Amit Makwana, Trainee, PA Consulting Group

"During the penultimate year on my course at Sheffield University I decided to defer university to pursue a year in industry. This choice was supported by departmental staff, and came about due to the demand of the competitive IT industry today and the need to be marketable after finishing your academic career. After numerous applications and interviews, I was offered a placement with PA Consulting Group within their Information Systems Implementation practice. Based in Cambridge, with frequent visits to their UK Head Office in London, I was fortunate enough to be involved on many interesting projects. I found that modules that I had taken previously at university helped me excel on these projects. Some of the types of work I had carried out during the year included: Intranet and Internet Site Development; Demo/Prototype Building; Account Management; Initiative/Proposal Management; Managing an E-Business Special Interest Group; Research and Statistics; Exhibition Work. As well as developing my interpersonal skills during the year, I also picked up many useful skills in certain software packages (which I have used for module presentations at university), a clearer picture of where I would like to go in the future and that extra marketable asset that employers look for, experience. I would recommend that students who are unclear about their future or just want to get some marketable experience, to apply for a placement to test drive a potential career. If offers a great opportunity to see if you like the work, the lifestyle and the culture, and it allows you to make a more informed career decision after graduation."