Asidua

Shabaaz

I am currently studying BEng Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Aston University.  During my second year I wasn’t too sure if I should take a placement year but knowing that I had no work experience under my belt, I quickly realised that a placement would be highly beneficial. It would allow me to gain the experience that I need, to build a strong foundation for my future career. After reading the job specification I realised that this would be an ideal placement for me as it ties in well with my degree.

Work in Asidua
During my year at Asidua I have worked on a number of customer projects, which gave me a chance to use many different technologies and languages. Some of which are Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft InfoPath, WCF, XML, XSLT and C#. Having learnt Java at university, this allowed me to write C# code more easily as the underlying concepts are very similar. My work included writing web services, creating forms, fixing bugs, testing, helping out with presales and much more. The atmosphere here is very lively and definitely a great environment to work in. The AGB team is very supportive as someone is always willing to help out with questions and issues.

Training in Asidua
Within the first few weeks I was given training in the form of masterclasses, walkthroughs and exercises so that I could get up to speed with the appropriate technologies and languages used within the business. At the start I was quite nervous using some of the new technologies but with the help and support of my line manager, I very quickly mastered them. Also within the first month I went to the Belfast office where I was given an introduction to the company and how it works, which helped me understand how the company operates and also where I sit within its structure

Fun at Asidua
At Asidua we have a Sports and Social team which organises social events such as meals out, pub quizzes and other sporting events such as 20/20 cricket and much more. In addition to that, there seems to be a tradition of going out for a pub lunch on Fridays, which is great way to have a laugh and also to get to know your colleagues better

Final Thought
Working at Asidua was a great step in my career development; it has given me valuable experience in software engineering and has also improved my soft skills. So if you’re looking for a placement in software engineering, I highly recommend Asidua.