Hardware Engineer

What made you apply to ARM?

Deciding on a career path after university is a big decision and basing this decision on experiences in a purely academic environment did not seem sensible to me. Having taken numerous digital design courses while at university, I decided that the work done by ARM would be interesting. I was also keen to see exactly how life at ARM compared to the academic settings that I was used to. Consequently I applied for an internship as a hardware engineer in the processor division. I really enjoyed my time as an intern and I subsequently applied for a graduate position at ARM which I started at in October 2012.

What were the highlights of your job?

I found my internship to be very enlightening given my relative lack of experience in the world of working life. The work itself was enjoyable and the end result of my internship was clearly useful to the company (and in fact is still in use today, two years later!). Discussions with senior staff members over the technical side of my work were also particularly satisfying.

What is the most valuable lesson you learnt on your placement/internship?

While I was an intern at ARM I not only gained more experience in Verilog, Python and a range of other skills that I had initially learnt while at university, but I also had exposure to numerous managerial and technical presentations which gave a great insight into the work being carried out by ARM. However, the most valuable experiences were to meet the employees of ARM, to witness the working environment, and to see how one could develop a career here.

What did you enjoy most about your placement/internship?

Although the work itself was enjoyable there were many activities arranged outside of work which were a lot of fun. Some, such as the ARM Summer BBQ, were arranged by ARM while others were organised by the large group of interns who formed great friendships during our time here. As a graduate employee you see even more events arranged during the year including trips to the local beer festival, paintball and of course the excellent ARM Christmas party.

What advice would you I've to someone planning their placement/internship?

Brush up on your technical skills before coming to an interview. The technical questions posed at intern or graduate level are realistic for things you will have seen at university, but nevertheless they can catch you out if you haven’t looked at the material in some time!