After a successful first year of our Engineering Graduate Program, 2020 marks the second year of opening our doors to students diving headfirst into a career in tech. This year has been full of change, and with so much continuing to evolve across the engineering side of our business we welcomed two incredibly talented graduates; Madeleine Brighouse-Mayo and Leon Huston into the Movio fold. In this blog post, we talk to our latest graduates about their experience so far and what advice they have for those looking to apply now.
What made you decide on a career in tech?
M: I need challenges in my life, so when other forms of work got boring, I turned to tech. I was drawn to tech because it's portrayed as a male-dominated industry, and I want to change that view.
L: I had quite the stereotypical route into this industry. I grew up surrounded by technology and had always been skilled at using them from a young age so it was natural for me to decide on this career.
What did you study at university?
M: I studied software at an intensive boot camp course at Enspiral Dev Academy in Auckland.
L: I studied a Bachelor of Science, majoring in Computer Science at the University of Auckland.
What part of the graduate program have you enjoyed the most & why?
M: The mentorship! There is so much to learn and know. Movio does a wonderful job of being supportive while I learn and contribute to the company. Plus the beer fridge and team lunches are great.
What has been your biggest challenge at Movio?
M: Having to adapt to a COVID-19 world and workplace. The way the company has changed, I was starting to get used to the way that Movio worked and then... COVID. But it's been an exciting challenge, and I've learnt a lot about the way I am best productive and the like.
L: I'm quite the routine driven person. So with the transition to fully remote work and COVID I’ve had quite the spanner thrown in the works and I’ve struggled with adapting to this the most.
How did your expectations differ from the reality of being a Graduate Software Engineer?
M: I thought a grad role would involve much more boring, meaningless work as I'm the youngest and least experienced. But it's been far from that, I'm challenged every day, and everyone is invested in my growth. I did not expect the support I have, both emotional and intellectual.
L: I sort of expected to be placed on some low impact work but from the get-go, I was involved with some very important products/features which was a nice change.
What advice would you give graduates looking to join Movio's graduate program?
M: Be excited and inquisitive, have a passion for learning, and lean into problems and struggles.
L: Be prepared to be exposed to a whole range of technologies/codebases and to not be afraid to soak it all up.
Interested in working with Movio? We’re currently accepting applications for our Graduate Program. Read more on our careers page.