Asidua

Philip

I’m currently in my final year of a Foundation Degree in Software Engineering at Belfast Metropolitan College.  I was directed to Asidua by my course tutor who mentioned they hold a lot of value in placement students and place quite a few every year.  I was very keen on putting my acquired skills to the test in a professional environment and believe me they have been tested!

Work in Asidua
My time at Asidua has been spent developing an automated testing system for different versions of our projects.  This work has enabled me to not only gain experience in system testing but also in development for the system.  I use a wide variety of software every day to help achieve my goals and my co-workers have been extremely helpful in learning to use these tools efficiently and effectively.  Asidua expects you to work and, unlike other placements, will not allow you to ride on the coattails of other developers. This has allowed me to not only improve my IT skills, but time management and work ethic also.

Training in Asidua
Asidua offers a number of ‘Masterclasses’ in which employees of the company hold small lectures.  The topics cover technologies or development practices useful for various projects going on throughout the company.  Aside from those a lot of the training involves you yourself getting your hands dirty and learning as you go.  You’d be surprised how quickly you can catch on to things when you’re trying to meet a deadline!  If you’re stuck at any point you have a lot of smart people at your disposal via the internal IM system, and from my own experience any problem I can’t figure out myself is usually only a few IM’s away from being solved.

Fun at Asidua
The Sports & Social society offers a ton of great activities for employees of the company, and your friends if you want to bring them along.  There are monthly activities such as bowling or live shows, first Friday drinks for letting your hair down with your workmates and of course the Xbox if you feel like taking on the reigning champions of FIFA.

Final Thought
All in all I have thoroughly enjoyed my place at Asidua.  I found it to be equally as challenging as it was rewarding and highly recommend it to any placement student wanting an authentic professional experience.  You’ll learn a lot about technology and software you wouldn’t get to learn about otherwise, and meet a lot of really great people.