What does a working day look like for computer science related roles?
Preferably looking for specific answers over general ones.
Original post
by Harri BournePreferably looking for specific answers over general ones.
https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/computer-science
Having a look there may help with what sort of tasks people are doing.
Original post
by Harri BournePreferably looking for specific answers over general ones.
Hey,
I’m currently on my placement year working in a software development role, so I can give you an idea of what my typical day looks like!
My workday is 9 to 5:30, and we follow an Agile workflow, meaning every morning starts with a 15-20 min standup. During this, I update the team on what I worked on yesterday, any issues I ran into, and my plans for today.
For most of the day, I work on tickets assigned by the Scrum Master (team lead). These usually involve:
•
Small feature additions – adding new functionality to an existing system
•
Bug fixes – diagnosing and resolving issues reported by users
•
Investigations – exploring how a problem occurs or whether a new technology could be viable for our systems
Alongside this, I’ve also worked on fixed-scope projects, where I spend one day a week across a couple of months planning, designing, implementing, testing, and documenting a solution before presenting it to the team. For larger projects, I have worked on them independently for 40 working days spread across 2 months.
One thing I’ve noticed is that software development involves a lot more reading/writing documentation than actual coding. A big part of my job is understanding existing systems, writing clear explanations for others, and making sure changes are well-documented.
Overall, the structure of a CS-related job really depends on the role. Some focus more on software engineering, others on data science, cybersecurity, or cloud computing. If you’re considering a career in tech, internships and placement years are a great way to get hands-on experience and figure out what aspects of CS you enjoy the most!
Best of luck!
Arslan – University of Salford Student Representative
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