So, you’ve just finished up a degree in engineering. What comes next? What kind of things will you be doing in your graduate programme?
So you know enough about your career interests that you have elected to study in a particular field, one that will lead to a fulfilling career that plays to your skills.
It’s nice to know this in principle, but it would be really helpful to have some of the more concrete details on what’s required. Luckily, Enriko Jacobson from Amgen walked us through the types of things he does as a graduate with the pharma giant.
What did you study in college?
Networking services and applications at DIT Kevin St.
With this programme, are you now working in your desired industry?
Yes, I like data analytics.
What drew you to Amgen when you were seeking work as a graduate?
Amgen is a big international company, which presents many opportunities for development.
What expectations did you have before you began the programme?
That the factory is very high-tech.
What duties and responsibilities were you given initially?
To design UX for a new system.
Did the scope of your work change as the programme progressed?
After the design phase, I began developing the system.
Can you describe a typical day in your role?
I build SQL queries in Spotfire to set up automatic data acquisition methods. Then I build custom expressions in Spotfire to paint a certain picture using the data. To bring in some other data, I write code in Python (script). Towards the end of development of a new feature, at some point in the testing phase I do data validation with the end users.
How do your responsibilities compare to more experienced employees’?
I focus more on the developing, under-the-hood stuff, management. More senior people do the reviews, feedback, and align the priorities and goals towards the new features.
Do you feel more prepared for working life after completing this programme?
I am a little over a year away from finishing the programme but if things remain the way they are … I for sure will feel great for doing this programme. I learned lots from working in Amgen.
Why should someone apply to the graduate programme at Amgen?
From what I hear and see, graduates are usually put into project work where they work on something completely new to bring to the site, which is exciting because you never know of the challenges that might arise and creative solutions you might need to think of.
