There’s no better way to learn and love the process of technological innovation than by immersing yourself in it. For our graduates at Cognizant, being at the heart of our game-changing work in systems design and development is a career-defining experience.

Our graduates aren’t observers. They’re given real clients and real projects, and a chance to add value to prominent businesses. Every day, we’re delivering tech-driven, transformative solutions to an exciting and diverse client base, and our graduates have an active role in all of this.

Graduates from our 2021 cohort are sharing their experiences of our graduate program below, with insights into how they got here, the opportunities we provide, and the team they’re part of at Cognizant. ​​​​​​​

Jenny Tek — Graduate Analyst

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Hi Jenny, why did you choose the Cognizant Graduate Program, and what’s the best thing about being a grad here? 

I had recently completed my double degree in Business and Science majoring in Finance and IT at UTS and was keen to put the theoretical knowledge I had gained into practice.  

I’ve always had a passion for data analytics and IT, so when the opportunity to join the Cognizant Grad Program came up, I couldn't wait to exercise my interest in numbers and problem solving here! The best thing about it is that I'm surrounded by other grads who are equally passionate about technology, and the way we get to learn technical and soft skills before transitioning to client projects.

Tell us about your day-to-day experience with the people, projects and learning resources at Cognizant.  


Cognizant has a highly collaborative culture. I attend daily connects to see how the business analysts and software developers work to develop a solution utilising Salesforce software.  

I have also gained soft skills such as working across multiple time zones. I work with a few offshore teams, which means my meetings are in the afternoons. This allows me to spend my mornings working on domain learning and my technical skills. This is one of the reasons why Cognizant is an excellent place to start your career – they provide you with resources to learn new skills and acquire certifications, such as the Salesforce Administrator Certificate I'm currently studying for.

How has Cognizant influenced your goals and aspirations for the future?


What motivates me daily is the opportunity to constantly prove myself by being thrown into situations in which I need to find a new way to solve a problem. It is important to immerse yourself in situations where you don't always know the answer, as the technology sector is ever evolving.  

All the managers and my colleagues have been supportive and approachable, whether I have a project-related question, or even just something about general HR. I am currently preparing for the Salesforce Administrator and Developer certifications, and the team has scheduled meetings with SMEs to provide their knowledge and skills to help me prepare. It feels great to have a lot of guidance when you're working towards a certification, especially as we're working remotely during the pandemic.

Karin Zaki — Graduate Analyst

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Hi Karin, why did you choose the Cognizant Graduate Program, and what’s the best thing about being a grad here? 


Coming from a Civil Engineering and Architectural working background, I recently decided to make a career switch to Software Engineering and undertook an intensive six-month course at General Assembly, whilst working full-time. 

Near completion of the course, I started looking to get some first-hand experience and ran into the Cognizant Grad Program. Being new to the field, the initial six-week structured induction program was very enticing. It provided a condensed introduction to the field and encouraged self-directed professional growth. 

The one-year length of the graduate program also meant an accelerated growth path in my new career journey. It’s been a great journey so far. I’ve had the opportunity to train and work with field experts to deliver solutions to prominent clients, and the team at Cognizant listens to your big ideas and solution techniques while patiently teaching you the processes.

Tell us about your day-to-day experience with the people, projects and learning resources at Cognizant.  


From day one, it was very clear that the grad program put a great emphasis on the need to learn from multiple areas of the business. The Cognizant Academy teachers were very helpful and supportive in guiding us through the first six weeks on the job and easing our merges into our client teams. The team themselves quickly assigned us a mentor who has been very helpful and resourceful, with reasonable expectations of progress on the job. It’s great having a mentor available who’s always there to assist me with any challenges I’m facing and in easing me into my role responsibilities. 

It has overall been a very positive exposure to both the business and client systems. 

How has Cognizant influenced your goals and aspirations for the future?


My only motivation is that I love what I do. My knack for problem-solving is applied in my day-to-day life and in my job, and is the reason I’m passionate about my volunteering roles as well. 

Although I can’t predict exactly what my future holds, my greatest aspiration is to consistently invest in myself to be able to lead by example in all that I do. My career goal is to work in a leadership role overseeing the development of projects within a company, whilst creating a working environment that utilises the strengths of the ever-changing generational qualities of our workforce. 

I want to be able to read this, years from now and know that wherever I am in life or how much experience I have had, there is still so much more to learn. My experience at Cognizant is continually teaching me through exposure to different great mentors, client problems, certifications, courses and much more!

Derrick Lai — Graduate Analyst

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Hi Derrick, why did you choose the Cognizant Graduate Program, and what’s the best thing about being a grad here? 


The best thing about being a Cognizant Grad is the supportive environment Cognizant provides. From the very first day I set foot inside the organisation, I felt supported, from the on-boarding processes and familiarising us with the company, to guiding us towards our professional development goals with resources, help and encouragement. 

It gives us fresh graduates assurance to know that the company that we are working for wholeheartedly believes in moulding our professional growth. That is something I really appreciate.

Tell us about your day-to-day experience with the people, projects and learning resources at Cognizant.  


The grad program is conducted in an agile environment, the industry standard for tech teams today and therefore, good preparation for the rest of our careers. 

My day starts off with a morning standup, where my fellow associates and I check in with our instructors to update them on our progress in a transparent and open manner. I then proceed with my self-paced, up-to-date learning material, with help and advice from our instructors always available throughout the day. After lunch we have another meeting where we can raise any concerns or questions we have, then continue with our learning. 

How has Cognizant influenced your goals and aspirations for the future?


What really keeps me motivated is that I am continuously learning something, whether it is a new skill, working with a new set of technology or just understanding new emerging concepts in this constantly changing industry. 

My professional journey in the tech industry has just started, and I feel that Cognizant is giving me all the relevant skill sets, up-to-date resources and guidance required to kickstart my career. 

Sanjeev Raju — Graduate Analyst

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Hi Sanjeev, why did you choose the Cognizant Graduate Program, and what’s the best thing about being a grad here?  


I heard about Cognizant through a senior Cognizant colleague who recommended it to me as a great start for my career. 

The Cognizant Graduate Program has an excellent training structure focusing on a range of technical and soft skills to give us a core foundation of knowledge. We’re also given mentors to help us through the journey of working in a client site, and we can reach out to them easily for help at any time, or for guidance on the areas and paths we want to pursue.  

There are a lot of things I have loved about being a Cognizant grad. The flexible and inclusive workplace culture that really supports us and caters to our needs, to begin with – even though we have been working from home during the pandemic, they have organised a lot of fun events like Trivia nights, Diwali celebrations and others to keep us entertained. 

I also appreciate the numerous networking opportunities we’re given to expand our connections and build our personal brand. And the best part is the clients we get to work with. We get to work with real clients immediately and add real value to them, all while learning and making new friends along the way.  

Tell us about your day-to-day experience with the people, projects and learning resources at Cognizant.  


I attend daily stand ups where I discuss my tasks and update my team on my progress, and of course I go through all my emails and organise my priorities for the day. For a lot of the day, I work through tasks assigned to me for the sprint, which range from running database queries to creating and updating relevant documentation. 

I also go to a lot of meetings with my squad about sprint reviews, sprint retros and building activities, and we have some check-in sessions as well. Once a week I have a catch up with my mentor and we talk about how I’m doing and if anything can be improved in the program.

The general culture at Cognizant and among the graduates as well, is really good. We have a close group who have gotten to know each other pretty well, despite working remotely. Although we are working from home, we still talk and interact all the time, which is important.  

How has Cognizant influenced your goals and aspirations for the future?


I am motivated by contributing to my squad and providing positive results for my client. Cognizant’s graduate training program prepares us to add value to clients and helps us to become comfortable working on client projects. 

I am also motivated by our continuous learning and development – I am constantly learning new skills and how to apply them to my work. I am keen to see what other client projects I will be placed on at Cognizant and to gain more responsibility over time. 

There is one more thing that I find really inspiring here. Cognizant gives us the opportunity to  work in different areas of the tech industry so we can explore a variety of fields. I am currently working in a technical business analyst role, and in the future I will be able to move into data analytics and front-end development, which I am very excited about! 
 
 

Looking to kickstart your career in a thriving and innovative environment? Join our Cognizant Graduate Program.
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The Cognizant Graduate Experience
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