This summer undergraduate student, Alex Le Cornu, has joined us as an Intern. We interviewed him to find out a bit more about his work experience with us and his future aspirations for a career in technology.
Tell us a bit about yourself
I’m a first-year undergraduate student at the University of Exeter studying Computer Science. I am 19 years old and have a strong interest in technology, data, and problem-solving.
What are your career aspirations?
I am not yet certain which career path I want to pursue after graduation. At the moment, my goal is to gain exposure to as many different areas as possible, develop my skills, and learn as much as I can. I believe that exploring a variety of roles and projects will help me identify the areas that interest me most and make more informed career decisions in the future.
What have you been doing in your placement at Prosperity 24/7?
During my work experience at Prosperity, I have mainly focused on data migration, data engineering, and reporting. I have used Spark notebooks within Microsoft Fabric to extract data from online services and store it within Microsoft’s data platform. From there, I have worked on cleansing, transforming, and refining data to make it suitable for analysis and reporting.
This experience has given me valuable exposure to modern data platforms, data integration processes, and the challenges involved in working with real business data. It has also allowed me to see how data can be used to support decision-making and improve business processes.
What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned so far?
The most surprising thing I have learned is how different the workplace is from what I had imagined. I expected a very serious and formal environment, but everyone has been welcoming, supportive, and approachable. The relaxed atmosphere has made it much easier to ask questions and gain confidence in the work I am doing.
What’s been the most exciting part of the experience?
The most exciting part of the experience has been working with real business systems and seeing how the work I complete contributes to larger projects. It has been rewarding to build something that has an actual use.
What skills have you developed over your placement?
This experience has helped me develop my technical skills significantly, particularly in Python and SQL. I have also gained a much deeper understanding of APIs, data integration, cloud-based data platforms, and the process of moving and transforming data between different systems.
In addition to technical development, the placement has increased my confidence in my own abilities and helped me understand how the concepts I have learned at university can be applied in a professional environment to solve real business problems.
How do you think your work experience will help support your future career?
This experience will support my future career by giving me valuable real-world experience alongside my university studies. It has helped me understand how technology is used within a professional environment, strengthened my experience and given me practical examples I can talk about with future employers.
The experience has also helped me develop workplace skills such as communication, problem-solving, and adaptability, which will be valuable regardless of the career path I choose.
What piece of advice would you give to other students?
My advice to other students would be to take every opportunity to gain practical experience, even if it is outside of their comfort zone. Any experience, whether positive or challenging, is better than no experience at all. Every opportunity is a chance to learn something new, develop valuable skills, and gain a better understanding of the professional world.
