I have been a graduate software engineer at Caplin Systems for a little over 4 months. I joined the graduate programme with a couple of other grads, and stepping on to Caplin’s floor was simply a happy experience. On our first day, we were warmly welcomed by the whole company, where we shared a little bit about ourselves and what brought us to Caplin. During the first week, we had a few welcome lunches to get to know each other and our future colleagues. Caplin could not have been more helpful. Any questions we had were answered fully and promptly, which made settling into the company very smooth.
Training
The first month of the programme was dedicated to a series of training camps that prepared us for working in a professional environment. We began with an intensive test driven development (TDD) course, followed by a Scrum master course, and a bootcamp in Caplin’s backend and frontend architectures. It was a very fulfilling experience, through which we gained a deeper understanding of how Caplin’s products work, and built relationships with many people in the company.
Our training concluded with a graduate project. As a small team of grads we were put to the task of creating a challenging but achievable piece of software for company employees. We obtained a tremendous amount of help and advice from our colleagues regardless of their job title. The project was a success for which we received very positive and constructive feedback. Needless to say, the first month at Caplin was a great learning experience, and we can only thank the company for investing so much in us.
Working on a team
In Caplin’s graduate programme, we rotate through different teams. After the grad project, I joined team Pingu, who are responsible for the next phase of development in Caplin’s mobile trading app.
Pingu is a team of motivated, smart, and creative people that constantly help, support, and learn from each other. On my first day, because I had previous experience in mobile app development, I was immediately handed a task of creating one of the app’s core components, which made me realise that I will face tough challenges and carry real responsibility on the team, which I was excited about. It was also nice to see the Scrum Master course pay off in a team that works in Scrum. I feel that I am greatly improving both my personal and professional skills, and the company is actively presenting ways in which I can augment them. In short, my experience working on a real team at Caplin has been an all-around great experience.
Closing remarks
But it’s not just about work. Caplin has a great work-to-life balance. There are regular company events, and each week we get together to enjoy a beer and play ping-pong and pool. Caplin is definitely a modern, healthy, diverse, and positive company where people are happy. It’s been a truly rewarding experience joining Caplin. I am grateful for the present and incredibly excited for the future with this company.