Roksana’s Work-Shadow Experience

We were delighted to have Roksana in the office last week, she’s written a lovely piece about her time with us.

Last semester, Anne-Marie who worked as the Project Manager for Blue2, came as a guest lecturer for our Web Technologies class at the University of St Andrews. She talked about Web Development and Project Management. I really enjoyed my Web Technologies class and was thinking of doing another IT Projects course. I spoke to Anne-Marie regarding a work shadowing opportunity at Blue2 and a few weeks later she confirmed that I can visit Blue2 for three days in January.

I was very enthusiastic when I learned that Blue2 has accepted my application for work shadowing. She also suggested that I do some research on WordPress and Project Lifecycle to prepare myself before going to Blue2.

On the first day, I attended the ‘Scrum Meeting’ where everyone gathers and updates each other regarding their work. I was with Anne-Marie for the rest of the day who was very knowledgeable with technology projects. She explained about her ongoing project and daily tasks such as communication with clients, working on current projects, working with colleagues on current project, answering client queries, troubleshooting of different client’s websites as necessary and so on.

I also had the opportunity to sit with one of the Web Developers for a couple of hours and observed how they run various tests for websites on different devices and solve problems if there is any. These three days were valuable for me because I did not have a previous background on IT sector as a student or professional. My previous experience helped me to understand the management aspects. However, managing technical projects are very different than my previous project management experience. I realised that as a Project Manager, what Anne-Marie does everyday is much more intense than what I have anticipated. I now have an idea about what kind of technical skills and management skills are required to work as an IT Project Manager.

After spending three days at Blue2, I got first-hand experience what web development entails. I was able to understand the concept as I just learned about website development to including HTML, CSS and CSS frameworks, PHP, J-Query etc through my Web Technologies course. I was nervous thinking that I may not understand all the aspects of web development, but fortunately, Anne-Marie explained different concepts while working to make my journey easier.

What helped me the most during these three days is it facilitated me to develop ideas about the type of technical skills employers seek and how I can continue my learning to further develop those skills.

As a beginner in IT sector I felt that I do not have adequate knowledge about the industry. Now I can confidently say that I do have some perception about web development projects and I’m eager to learn more after visiting Blue2.

Blue2 has helped prepare myself for the IT industry and I feel that I can positively contribute to the industry. I thank the Blue2 team and Anne-Marie for providing me with this wonderful opportunity and making me feel as a part of the team during my time at Blue2.

Roksana Karim
School of Computer Science
University of St Andrews