Sam has been working as an engineer at Partner Electronics since he graduated from Southampton in 2017. Coming to PEL with an open mind on the field, Sam was keen to dip his toes in a wide range of areas; and since starting with us, has become experienced in writing firmware for microcontrollers. Today he is talking about the opportunities for development, graduates are given at Partner Electronics.
THE WORK
When I left university I wasn’t too sure what area of Electronics I wanted to go in to. Partner Electronics offered the opportunity to work in a broad range of fields, which was an exciting position to hold. What really attracted me to the position was the fact that no two days ever looked the same. Being a consultancy, clients bring us problems to solve. And as we work in a wide range of fields we end up with a wide range of problems. Therefore I get to work in several different areas using a magnitude of different skills. This has given me a solid grounding in many different disciplines whilst keeping my daily working life fresh and exciting.
Having worked here for over a year now I have to say the best part of the job for me; aside from the diversity of the work, is being able to oversee a project from its conceptualisation to its completion. In large specialised firms, you can be stuck working in one department on a project doing the same work every day. Whereas, at Partner, we work on a project through all the different stages to the end. I get a real sense of achievement, seeing an idea I came up with being used in a finished product.
RESPONSIBILITY
I also have a lot of influence in my role even though I am a junior member of the team. If I think of a more appropriate solution for a project, I can suggest this to the team and develop the idea to see if it’s possible. Holding this degree of authority is definitely a highlight.
DEVELOPMENT
The transition from Uni to work was really eased by Partner. When a new member of the team joins they are paired up with a senior engineer. Who supervises their work to ensure they’re progressing well. They do a fantastic job in finding a balance between offering enough guidance, so you’re not left high and dry, and enough autonomy to learn on your own. Our senior engineers and the day to day work ensures our technical knowledge progresses well. On top of this, we receive external training to boost our professional skill-set. This, in particular, is valuable as it helps us to become fully integrated into the team.
One trait which certainly comes in handy at Partner is a passion to learn. The opportunities to keep on learning and develop an extensive knowledge are almost endless. I’ve definitely learnt more in my time at PEL than I did at Uni. Getting hands-on practical experience sticks in my memory so much more clearly than studying pure theory. The independence we’re given is also ridiculously helpful. Being able to learn from my mistakes really helps me to take in and retain knowledge.
I’VE DEFINITELY LEARNT MORE IN MY TIME AT PEL THAN I DID AT UNI
Another factor which especially engages my development is the fact I enjoy the work I am doing so much. At home, I would be doing similar DIY projects for fun, so the fact I can do this at work and solve problems at the same time is a huge motivator. It means I want to learn more and be able to approach different scenarios in different ways. On top of this Partner really supports my development by offering the perfect platform to learn.
To discover more about our graduate opportunities visit our Careers page and our Gradcracker Hub.
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