Darren Tweed's work experience placement at Torchbox

Darren recently graduated from Ulster University and has since worked for a multi-national company in the security sector, as part of his industry placement year. Eager to gain experience in a different sector, Darren joined our development team to improve upon the computing skills he learnt at university. 

To give potential interns an idea of what life at Torchbox is like, I sat down with Darren to find out what he got up to. 

• I'm a bit of a coffee fan, and am particularly partial to a nice Los Jocotales from Guatemala.
  
• I live in Northern Ireland.
  
• I've seen Africa’s Big Five on safari.
  
• I received a Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award from Prince Edward.
  
• I love travelling - I’ve been to places like Japan, Sweden and South Africa. This year it’s Costa Rica!

BSc Computing with Honours and a Diploma in Professional Practice from Ulster University in Coleraine.

To become a web developer or project manager for a growing company. I wanted to be a zoologist for a long time, but that’s off the cards now. 

I’ve always heard positive stories about Torchbox, so when the opportunity to take part in a work experience placement came along, I grabbed it with both hands. Having previously worked for a large, multi-national company building security products, this experience has allowed me to see a different side to web development in a smaller organisation.

I’ve worked through several tutorials to learn new development skills and best practice procedures. I was taught the fundamentals of different programming languages at university, but the tutorials here have taught me so much more. I’ve been able to apply what I’ve learnt too, helping to make improvements to a global, high profile website like Chatham House.

This experience has boosted my confidence and enhanced my people skills. It's taught me a lot about working in a fast-paced workplace and the importance of completing work in a timely and efficient manner. The practical work experience I’ve gained at Torchbox is going to look great on my CV and will be really useful when applying for permanent work.

The most interesting thing has to be the workflow of the company. It’s fast, but strict. Nothing gets to the next stage without several approvals, so you always know what you are working on is a high quality.

The people! Meeting so many people from different backgrounds, with different personalities has been great. Personally, I’m a talker, so all of the interaction I’ve had in my two weeks here has been great! I didn’t think I’d get to deploy my own work on Chatham House -  so that was really cool! And I mean, the team lunch here is pretty good too!

• Just be yourself.
  
• Talk to as many people as you can.
  
• Be prepared to work, and if you’re stuck, attempt to learn. Try everything offered to you and really make the most of your time with the agency.
  

We're always keen to hear from enthusiastic and talented graduates who are looking for work experience opportunities. If you're interested, please email your CV and a covering letter to [email protected].