My Earn as you Learn Experience - part 2

In the next of our Earn as you Learn blog series, Deaglan talks about his first steps at Kainos, and how he's settled into the role since his initial eight-week training period. So at this stage, I had received the call to offer me a position on Earn as you Learn (EAYL). In August, I was invited to an Orientation Day to meet the other students who were joining the scheme. We hit it off straight away (group chats set up and nights out planned), and when the induction started we were getting on so well that there was no need for an awkward icebreaker. It was great that I was starting on this journey with a group of students who were in the same boat as me and from day one, we've all got on like a house on fire. The first four weeks of EAYL consisted of an intensive training programme. During the training we were introduced to Agile, terminal, source-control, SQL and OOP. (Don't worry - I didn't know what these were either, but the training started at a great baseline.) Each day also included breakout sessions which allowed us to meet people from the company and hear about their jobs, so it wasn't just technical training, but helped us to learn about all of the different departments and people in Kainos. After this 4-week classroom training, we started our one-year rotations. This involves spending a few months in a team where you are given real work to do. Yikes! But it wasn't as scary as you'd think. I'm currently finishing my first rotation in our Digital Services team. Over the course of the rotation have been working on a project to allow us to carry out daily checks efficiently. For me this is the best thing about the scheme as it means I get to learn about a different piece of programming every day. There have been loads of people in the team to support me and answer any questions. We have a bit of a saying that 'no question is a stupid question!' This really helped me to grow in confidence, and to also quickly feel like part of the team. Every Wednesday I attend University. It may seem like balancing studying and working life would be hard but Kainos provides us with a lot of support, with time in your first year to do some self-study and study leave coming up to exam time. And what I've discovered already is that for some topics, we've already learned a bit about it in Kainos before we even cover it in class! When you start in Kainos, you'll be surprised by the relaxed and supportive atmosphere. You're able to wear whatever you're comfortable in and everyone you meet is willing to help. It's a great culture to work in. Alongside the hard work, there is plenty of socialising as well! There are many social events throughout the year, such as monthly payday drinks, paid for by the company, Christmas dinner and the summer barbeque. This really helps us to get to know everyone at every level of the company. My final piece of advice- even if you're not sure if you'll apply I recommend coming to the open night and talking to the EAYL students. Good luck in your application! You can find out more and apply for Earn as you Learn here - good luck!