Luke Feely - Associate Software Developer at Expleo

What's your name and Job Title?

Luke Feely and I’m an Associate Software Developer.

What does your job involve?

Since I finished my graduate training, I have been working as a consultant developer on a Global Insurance-related project. We are building an insurance management application which will be used all over the world.

There are a lot of people working on the project, and it’s much larger and more complex than anything I have worked on before. As a developer, we get assigned tasks such as fixing a bug or developing a small feature, and these features contribute to the overall application.

How did you get into your job? What were you looking for, and what is your educational background?

I did a four-year degree in Computer Science & Business at Trinity College Dublin. After completing my degree, I was still rather unsure about what direction I wanted to take my career. I was looking for something tech-related but didn’t want to abandon the business side of my degree and preferably something flexible enough to allow me to discover what I wanted to do and not tie me down too robustly to one specific thing. The Expleo graduate programme provided an ideal opportunity for this.

What was the Expleo hiring process like getting into the Grad Programme?

I initially had a short phone interview which included an explanation of the role and a few simple questions. I was then invited to a Graduate assessment day which was conducted virtually and consisted of team-building exercises, multiple-choice questions in a general and technical test about various subjects related to the role, and then a one-on-one interview. It was an engaging and rewarding day and I was very happy to hear back the next day with good news.

What skills do you need to be successful in your role?

Thankfully Expleo is very helpful in providing the relevant training to enable you to perform while on the client site, so you can develop the necessary technical skills as you need them. It’s very important to have a good attitude, work ethic and a willingness to learn, and if you have that, then I’d say the sky is the limit in terms of where you can take your career.

What have you enjoyed working with Expleo?

In the time I have been working here I have enjoyed challenging myself on a daily occurrence. I have always enjoyed puzzles and problem solving and a lot of being a developer is getting to do that for a living. It is also great to see things you have made have real-world value and be used on such large projects. Since I joined everyone has been extremely friendly and helpful and has made me feel right at home.

What are your hopes for the future?

I am still not completely sure what I want to do in the future, but I hope to keep learning new skills and furthering my career and hopefully settle into a role which I find simultaneously challenging and enjoyable.

What advice would you give to a college student looking at careers and jobs?

I would advise students to not stress and to take their time before committing to anything. I think a lot of people get worried when other people in college start applying for grad programmes and jobs [nearly a full year] before finishing college, I know I did. But if you’re still not sure what you want to do after college, I would recommend taking your time, focusing on finishing your degree and then you can weigh up your options afterwards and by then you might have a better idea of what sort of job you would like to pursue.

There’s lots of opportunities out there for graduates so there is no need to jump into the first thing you see just because everyone else is. Take your time and make the decision that is right for you.

Keep an eye out for our open Graduate Programme Positions!