Taking a Placement Year at NMI

Meet Dan!

Dan, a student from UWE, undertook a placement year at NMI as a Software Developer.

Why did you choose to do a placement at NMI?

I applied to NMI because they were pro-active in coming into the university to make strong connections. After having a look around the office and meeting the team I was fast to accept the offer.

The benefit of doing a placement is getting that ‘real world’ experience that you cannot gain from a university classroom environment. I had to learn and adapt to the new ways of using my technical skills such as formatting my code in a readable and transferable manner as well as source control. In the beginning I thought I was in over my head and I would never understand, but with the help and support from the team I was able to really get to grips with the job at hand.

What do you do at NMI?

I was placed into the EMV team and after some initial training I was given a project with lots of scope; I was tasked to develop a test app for internal use to test terminals against the specifications. This could then be provided to customers for use during type approval.

What have been your highlights?

I got to know the team very well, especially if we went out to lunch, and felt very welcomed. It was a bit daunting at the beginning but I was soon settled after everyone was being very helpful. The relaxed office culture along with wearing a company t-shirt and jeans makes you feel at ease. I go out on runs too at lunch with others and there are many other opportunities that people set up.

I have also been able to go back into University to help with continuing the strong links with other students, whether it was talking on a panel or going along to an ‘Eat. Drink. Talk Code.’ event (where students can eat, drink, and talk code with current NMI-ers).

What do you like most about NMI?

Being a part of a genuinely friendly, welcoming and sociable group of people. The skills I have learnt here complement those I have gained at University so far, and there is no way I could have achieved so much anywhere else. I feel I am far more prepared for final year and the next job opportunity that I find, and I would love to come back to NMI.

If you're interested in joining the NMI team, check out our open positions

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