Jennifer Bruce
Job title: Software Developer / Development team
Academic background
MEng (Distinction) in Computer Science.
Reason for Joining SIMUL8 Corporation
I joined SIMUL8 in September 2008 as a Student Developer while I was still at university. This role enabled me to gain invaluable commercial development experience and customer service skills while being flexible enough to fit around my studies. I was able to work evenings and throughout the summer on real development projects that actually made a difference to the company. I loved the challenge so much that in May 2010, after graduation, I began my new role as a full-time Software Developer.
Training and Development
I joined SIMUL8 in September 2008 as a Student Developer while I was still at university. This role enabled me to gain invaluable commercial development experience and customer service skills while being flexible enough to fit around my studies. I was able to work evenings and throughout the summer on real development projects that actually made a difference to the company. I loved the challenge so much that in May 2010, after graduation, I began my new role as a full-time Software Developer.
I’ve also had the opportunity to attend training courses such as Presentation Skills and Time Management as well as those exposing me to new software languages. SIMUL8 actively encourages their employees to learn and better themselves and every bit of training undertaken is tailored to the needs of the individual.
Typical Day
OIf there's one cliché I hate, it's when people say "there's no such thing as a typical day"! On a typical day at SIMUL8 at least a few things always happen – I'll always start by checking my email and prioritizing for the day, then the whole Development team have a prioritization meeting and discuss what's most important for that day's work – this could be anything from dealing with server issues to releasing a service pack to developing a new internal system. I also typically spend time talking to customers whether on the phone, through email or onsite visits – after all, how can you develop user friendly software if you don’t know your users?!
Development projects vary from maintenance of our software to designing bespoke products for customers using different software languages and technologies – I really do learn something new every day at SIMUL8! But it isn't all about sitting in front of a computer. I also get to take part in more fun things like organizing charity events, recruitment, client visits, company teambuilding days and our monthly afternoon out!
