How did you feel starting your placement with us?
At first I was very nervous, but settled in nicely. I was given a task to create a National Map from scratch which was my main task for the week. I also had various meetings to join which gave me an insight into what happens day to day in the business. Once I got stuck in and saw how welcoming and kind everyone is, my nerves quickly disappeared.
What have you achieved during your time in the rail division?
I was tasked with making a national rail map to display the movement of trains across the UK. I completed this using Vue 3, Leaflet.js, Axios, Forge.UI 3, and Sass to display the map while also making my own API using express.js to serve the movement data of the trains. This really helped with my front and back-end development and I will be taking this knowledge back to school with me. I also presented my project at the end of the week to the development team which helped to improve my presentation skills.
What have you learnt?
I have learnt to make my own API which will be really helpful for future endeavours. I also learnt a lot more about languages/frameworks such as Typescript and Vue 3 courtesy of Jake. Finally, I learnt how to work effectively by myself.
Was there anything about the job that was different to what you expected?
Definitely the amount of meetings people go to. It was clear that takes up a significant portion of their time in the office!
How do you feel after your work experience? Has it given you a clearer idea on what you want to do with your career?
Yes, I would definitely like to be a front-end developer after this and will continue studying computer science and IT when I get to my A levels.
Additional Comments
Big thanks to Jake for helping me out when I needed it throughout the project!
