Possible companies I should consider for my year in industry.

[Rackne]

Ok, between my 2nd and final years at uni I get to experience a year in industry where I go out and discover the wonderful world of work, earn an arguably decent wage for a year by my standards at least, and find out what job I don't want to do when I graduate.

The time has come where I need to start thinking about where I would like to spend this momentus year. Sun Microsystems takes 20 students a year from my uni and bundles them off to America where they learn all kinds of black magic and I want one of those places! But competition is fierce and I need to find alternatives.

So what companies can anyone suggest would be good to work for? Which company will teach me the most, challenge me the most, be the best to work for, pay me most and make my CV shine after graduation so I have to beat the job offers away with a large pointy stick?

I'm looking for a job on the technical side of things, preferably programming, don't mind a little bit of the analytical/design side of things but definitely not tech support and the less people the better. I want to code stuff for a year basically. Don't mind if it's web based or application based. Just something where I'm going to learn a lot.

Location wise. UK would be easiest but equally I'd love a job in America for a year. Not against European based companies but I suffer from a distinct lack of knowing any other languages.

So which companies should I go and threaten to sue for sexual discrimination unless they give me a job?

[dimmreaper]

Microsoft

[Samuknow]

Unfortunatly I think Jeff is right. M$ is buying up the world and might as weel start there.

[Rackne]

Originally posted by dimmreaper
Microsoft

Grin all you want. I'm going to apply and bring them down from within. You never know. They might like to have a competant member of staff for a year.

[cloasters]

Don't worry, MS does not hire slow or even run of the mill people. Drinks that have Ginko Biloba in them, or whatever the right name for the substance is are a must before talking to MS's hiring and firing people. I'm not joking.

MS also expects complete and utter loyalty. Comments that put down Mr Bill and all the horses he rode into town on are verboten--no matter how richly deserved. Don't joke about this. It's "MS all the way!!!!!!!" Seriously.

These factoids are garnered from a pal that works in the belly of the beast. Perhaps things are more relaxed away from the Redmond HQ. I wouldn't count on it.

If a deadline, real or imagined looms before the department you're in, MS expects a twelve hour day from all the employees in that department. I'm certain that this is not in any employee's handbook. Nonetheless, if some your team mate's don't go home after eight hours of work, get the hint!

OTOH, perhaps you might be an Intern at Mandrake or SuSE. They'll pay less, but you won't be rowing the boat in favor of universal domination, Dark Side style.

You'll have a lot more fun in France or Germany. Nearly every educated European speaks some English. And learning enough French or German to get around town won't hurt.

[Superman]

Originally posted by cloasters
You'll have a lot more fun in France or Germany. Nearly every educated European speaks some English. And learning enough French or German to get around town won't hurt.

One of my cousins from Austria just came over last weekend and we talked with him for a while. He just received his masters in Computer Science from University of Florida over the net and he speaks pretty much perfect English, as did his girlfriend.

Let it suffice to say that we talked about Linux for about an hour