Taking the leap from university to the workforce with the Infosys Graduate Program
There’s no replacement for real-world training. Sure, university and other forms of higher education offer a fantastic foundation to build upon but there are a wealth of things that these courses simply can’t cover. Theory only takes you so far – the rest must be discovered through practice.
This is the thought process behind the Infosys Graduate Program. It focuses on building on the things that graduates have learned at university, adding more specific, practical and industry-relevant skills into the mix. Graduates are allocated real-world projects based on their skills and experience, whether for Infosys clients or within the four walls of the company itself.
As a participant in the Infosys Graduate Program, I’d like to take the opportunity to share my journey with you. It was a slightly different experience to what I was expecting – particularly when COVID restrictions kicked in – but it was an overwhelmingly positive one.
The allure of the Infosys Graduate Program
I was drawn to the Graduate Program for a number of reasons. First was the promise of three months of training before starting my first client assignment. The fact that I was getting a little rusty on the skills and knowledge that I attained at the beginning of my uni studies made this appealing.
As an organisation we work with some of the largest businesses globally to help them accelerate their digital journeys and the skills that I am learning are always as real-time as it gets. As a grad, you’re pretty much guaranteed to finish the program with a super useful skillset. Importantly, learning is deeply embedded in our culture, so you never stop picking up the latest digital skills through our on-demand digital learning platform, LeX.
I knew the program would also grant me the opportunity to work with a diverse range of clients, and be exposed to a number of different technologies. Being fresh out of uni, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on, or even the kind of work that was out there, so I liked the idea of working across different sectors. There’s always an opportunity to bring new ideas to the fore.
At the moment, for example, I’m learning all about FileNet and Case Manager, neither of which are exactly ‘new’, but they are to me! This kind of work is different from anything I have ever done before, which is exciting.
I’m also making the most of the Infosys LeX learning platform in my downtime, which helps to expand my skills around APIs and microservices. This is really relevant to my client project work, and will certainly help me in the future too.
Preparing graduates for full-time work
The commitment that Infosys has to continuous learning and development was evident from the outset. The training was the ideal mix of instructor-led and self-directed (using the LeX mobile learning platform).
While the Graduate Program is focused on building both digital skills and problem-solving methodologies, we also learnt design thinking as an approach. In particular, the group learning methodology was super helpful, as I learnt softer skills including communicating and collaborating with colleagues both in-person and virtually, which came in handy when we shifted to working remotely last year due to the pandemic.
I also found that the program eased me gently into full-time work. When you’re fresh out of university the idea of working full time can be intimidating. I got enormous value out of those first three months in the Infosys office, where we trained, got to know our fellow grads and new colleagues, and generally became more comfortable in a corporate setting.
Of course, we weren’t without our struggles. My graduate class faced some unique challenges, with COVID restrictions put in place right as we were about to start our first client engagements. After being in the office every day, we were now being asked to work from home, which meant remotely onboarding with our first clients and projects.
But what could potentially have been a stressful time was made far easier for the fact that everyone kept in close contact, and offered endless support and advice throughout. I can’t emphasize enough on the importance of a nurturing culture especially given the exceptional year it has been.
My advice for prospective graduates
Having come out the other side of the Infosys Graduate Program, I’ve got one piece of advice for those looking to follow a similar path: just go for it!
If you’re anything like me, you might not know exactly what you want to do once you leave uni. As an Infosys graduate you’ll be exposed to a wide range of possibilities, and you can try each before deciding which path feels the most interesting to you.
I’d also recommend getting involved with internships and/or personal projects during your university studies, as these offer that vital experience that the university course itself can often lack. Such experience can come in particularly handy during the interview process.
Speaking of the interview, try not to stress too much! Everyone I encountered during the interviewing and onboarding process was super lovely and supportive, which made things so much easier.