Mairead

From school to engineering

I work for Dialog Semiconductor in their Audio Design centre in Edinburgh.  I was employed as a Junior Design Engineer after graduating from the University of Edinburgh in 2008 with a 1st Class MEng in Electrical and Electronic Engineering.  I chose to study Engineering as I saw it as an exciting and challenging course.  My favourite subjects at school were Maths and Physics as I have always loved problem solving.  I also enjoyed Art because it allows you to be imaginative and creative.  I still pursue this as a hobby and currently attend an Art class in the evenings.  I think creativity is important in Engineering as quite often you have to think outside the box.

How I benefited from an industrial placement during my degree

My degree course included the opportunity to apply for an 8 month industrial placement which I enjoyed immensely.  During this placement I worked for an IC design company and designed a circuit which was manufactured.  I got the opportunity to see the chip working, which was very exciting.  This placement gave me a great insight into the day-to-day job of a design engineer and confirmed to me that I was in the right field.

My work at Dialog Semiconductor

I work within the Analogue team in the Audio group. The work is often challenging but rewarding. A project can last months and months in the design phase, so there is great satisfaction when the chip is manufactured and you can listen to it working well. It’s also great to see friends and family buying products that you know you’ve contributed to. Even though I work in the Analogue group, there is a lot of day to day interaction with digital, applications and test engineers which makes the job quite varied.

What I do out of work

My hobbies are mainly sport related, especially running. I have always enjoyed sport and am happy to say that life as an Engineer still allows you to have a healthy balance between work and your hobbies.