Meet Jups, a Graduate Software Engineer at Experian

What made you consider this career path following your studies?

After studying my undergrad in Biomedical Science, I worked as a Systems Analyst and during this time got to meet quite a few software engineers which piqued my interest in the area. I shadowed a few of them to see what they were working on and truly understand what it was all about. This then led me to teaching myself to code in my personal time and found that I enjoyed building projects and using innovative technologies. After completing my masters, I then knew I wanted to go into software engineering as a role and now had the relevant skills behind me.

What does your day-to-day role involve?

I work in 10-day sprints so I will have several tasks assigned to me for that sprint. Day-to-day working can vary quite a bit but generally it will involve attending stand ups to check in on team sprint progress, coding solutions to whatever project I’m working on and providing support or getting help from colleagues.

I get to use a range of programming languages such as: Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, SQL and PHP and will typically work on projects which span multiple months and will have take ownership of particular sections of that project. Throughout the project I get to talk through the viable solutions I’ve come up with and then share these with my Product Owner to see if it fits the requirements of what’s needed.

What stood out about Experian and why did you apply?

I was researching Graduate Schemes whilst at University and Experian had quite a few graduate roles which gave me a positive inclination that they had integrated the programme into the business as a whole. I wanted to find out more about the Graduate Scheme so reached out to a graduate who had been on the programme the previous year. She really praised her experience at the company which only made me more eager to apply. I also checked out Glassdoor reviews for software engineers and the comments left all mentioned aspects that I was looking for in an employer.

Furthermore, the graduate role I was applying to really stood out when I learned about how much data I would potentially get to work with. This was a great opportunity to learn about engineering with large data which I particularly enjoy. I also learned about the plans to move to the cloud and understood that the company valued using newer technologies when they provided better solutions, than outdated ones.

How do you feel the Early Careers Development Programme has helped with your learning journey so far?

The Graduate Scheme has meant that I’ve felt eased into working life with a ton of support as I progress my way through my software engineering journey. The Early Careers team have held sessions focussing on certain aspects of working life. Notably, there was a session on resilience which I found useful as it demonstrated how to prioritise work depending on how urgent and important a task is. This has helped me in my role as I am often assigned multiple tasks at once and now feel I can approach these methodically.

Furthermore, graduates have had the chance to attend Q&A sessions with executive members of the company, specifically the CFO, which helped me in gaining a better understanding of what it takes to lead a larger business. This was applicable in how I can take the lead on an engineering project.

The sense of genuine care from the Early Careers team has been incredibly useful. I’ve felt supported through regular check-ins with the team, as well as them taking on regular feedback we give so they can make amendments to the development programme along the way. Alongside this, the social aspect has allowed me to get to know other graduates and has helped to build networks within the company.

What has been a key achievement/stand out moment so far?

I felt proud of an engineering project which involved building a fully functional API. I was tasked with building the API from the ground up with some technical framework that was given. Although this was challenging, it allowed me to develop skills through practice which I valued a lot.

The project exposed me to different coding languages and technologies such as Python, JavaScript, SQL and Java which was great as it allowed for a wider use of skills and got me to upskill in all the languages instead of just one. I was also responsible for my own time keeping throughout the 3-month project and really enjoyed the hands off approach as it meant that my team trusted me to get the job done.

Ultimately, it proved that I could develop and build products for customer use and was very satisfying to see it go from a barebones structure to being used by my clients a few months down the line.

What's one thing you now like about Experian that you didn't expect before you started?

I wasn’t expecting everyone to be so helpful and caring. I believe that the people around you can really make a difference in how you perceive a job and the environment at Experian has been amazing through everyone I’ve met and got to know.

I’ve really come to appreciate the trust I’ve felt since I began. My manager and the team I work in fully trust my abilities and asked me for input and my thoughts from the start of the Graduate Scheme, which made me feel valued immediately. My Chief Technology Officer has mentioned multiple times that if we ever have any ideas of what product we could build or which technology we could utilise to come and share with him - which was completely unexpected and amazing to hear.

The company is also great at keeping everyone involved with what’s going on. I didn’t expect to receive newsletters from my department that kept me in the loop with what products are being updated and how other projects are coming along. Also, there’s a beehive in the car park!