Day in the Life...

I am part of the PowerVR Graphics team, which is a really fun team to work in. I have been working on verification of block-level modules, which is absolutely fantastic as it involves catching bugs in a design!

One of the main reasons I chose Imagination is my fascination for graphics! I had been waiting for an opportunity to work on something within graphics and doing verification within a team at Imagination, I couldn’t have asked for more! Absolutely delighted today to have the choice of working in the area that I had been looking forward to getting into right after graduating from university!

At Imagination the culture is very cool – be it the work ethic or the people. On the work side, there is so much scope for learning, as long as we can extend our horizons. Working with the PowerVR Graphics team has been a great experience so far, as I find plenty of help and knowledge transfer not just within the team I was working with, but also from people in other parts of Imagination! Furthermore, the work is challenging and very interesting, as I have to find novel solutions for finding bugs in the design, which is what I always wanted to do! It is a fantastic career opportunity within Imagination along with great work variety.

My journey started with a keen interest in the VLSI modules and IC design during my Bachelor’s degree in Electronics. This led me to pursue my Masters in Microelectronics, which was very close to my chosen fields of interest. Whilst doing my Masters I had a Verification module, which was intriguing and very interesting. This pushed me further to do some small mini projects for fun and learning! I enjoyed catching bugs in a design with different ways of testing the intent of the design! Well, today I’m doing that at Imagination through demonstrating my experience and interests. I enjoy my work each day as it gives me food for thought, new ways/strategies of verifying a given design and unique problems. I love the fact that I get to learn the know-how of different designs and verifying them as well!

The keys to success are being passionate about your interests and pursuing them! Start with small and simple ways to follow your interests so that the tasks look more fun! Design and Verification is great work to do if you are looking for a chance to get creative, have some food for thought and develop new strategies and to have fun exploring.

At Imagination I work as part of the Firmware team. We are responsible for porting, developing and maintaining tools, drivers and operating systems that run on the processor architecture. I am mainly responsible for maintaining our port of the Android operating system. I’ve been working on Android for over a year now, having joined the company 15 months ago.

I chose to work at Imagination as I saw that there was some interesting work taking place at the company with many difficult problems to tackle. I was also impressed by the Linux processor work and the level of knowledge and expertise of members of my future team, I was excited about becoming a part of this team and how this would aid my development.

I have enjoyed my time so far at Imagination. There is an informal environment and dress code, which helps to promote collaboration and a friendly, relaxed office environment. This helps me to focus on the difficult technical problems that we work on. There are often pressured times as the work is challenging with many hard unsolved research questions to tackle, but this leads to a greater sense of achievement when you finally crack the problem.

I took a somewhat unorthodox route to where I am today working at Imagination and you wouldn’t have guessed that I’d be working here six years ago. I studied social sciences at A-level having been quite successful academically in most subjects. I went on to study PPE (Politics Philosophy and Economics) for a short time before realising that the course wasn’t for me. I began to plough more time into my computer related interests and became a qualified IT technician and worked in a few tech support jobs including at an ISP for a while. I went back to University, this time to study Artificial Intelligence which I thoroughly enjoyed and after a few months of a rather annoying Java job I got out of university, I applied to Imagination. This was quite a big change for me as I had previously been working in higher level software.

My advice to upcoming engineers would be to do what you enjoy and keep on learning about it.

I am an engineer for PowerVR Graphics within Imagination. A simple analogy that I use for my family would be that of an architect; I help to design buildings, without having to lift a hammer, but in my case the building is the graphics processor chip found in a range of devices, and my building materials are logic gates and storage registers. I’m currently working on the latest graphics hardware, helping to make the vertex controller more efficient. One of the more peculiar things about working on cutting edge technology is the time it takes to market. By the time my first contribution to the hardware is available to consumers; I’ll already be working on something due to come out in 3 years’ time.

I previously did a summer internship at Pure and liked the company so much I thought I’d come back for more. The company is mostly engineers, so there are lots of like-minded people around you. It’s very easy to slot in, make friends, and have a good time. Most days it doesn’t even feel like I’m doing ‘work’, it feels more like an on-going project, which I think is great and really suits my personality and working style. Imagination is a relaxed place to work with most people wearing casual attire. We also have ‘Treat of the Week’ every Wednesday morning where everyone goes to the canteen for a free snack (whether its doughnuts, cake, cookies, cupcakes or fruit) and chance to socialise with fellow engineers, friends and colleagues.

It has been a great experience so far. I have worked on interesting and difficult problems, taking advantage of technical skills I learnt at university. What I love about the company is the freedom I’m given to go about my work. Managers are always open to suggestions and new techniques to improve workflow, and this in turn allows me to work at my most efficient.

To get where I am today, I studied a lot of maths and electronics whilst still in school and college. I then completed an undergraduate degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Whilst studying there that I came across Imagination Technologies as they would hold lectures and advertising campaigns to promote what they did. After applying for a summer placement and successfully completing it in my penultimate year, I quickly applied for a graduate job in the PowerVR Graphics group.

My advice to up and coming graduate hardware engineers is to make sure you understand the basics of digital hardware design.

I applied to Imagination Technologies for a 3-month placement in summer 2011, where I wrote computer graphics demos for our graphics hardware. The main demo that I wrote implemented a novel solution for soft-edged shadows - I was given a lot of freedom on this project. I returned for a placement last year, just prior to graduating, in which I was working on the upcoming generation of our computer graphics hardware. I learned VHDL and Python on the job, and I made a useful contribution to the team.

I've always been interested in computers and computer graphics. I first heard of Imagination at a talk given whilst I was still in my first year of university, and I applied to Imagination because of my interest in what they do. I was offered a placement in the demo team, since I mentioned on my CV that I have an interest in OpenGL and DirectX. The work I did that summer led on almost directly to the work I'm doing now for the company.

Imagination is an exciting place to work. It’s at the cutting edge of embedded systems technology in graphics and communications, and it's growing very quickly. There's a ‘can-do’ attitude here, and everyone's very friendly.

My route so far involved studying my A-levels (Physics, Mathematics, Electronics and Computing) and then I did my degree (BEng Electronic Engineering). I'm currently working on cutting-edge computer graphics algorithms.

It's really important to develop a relationship with an engineering company whilst still at university. You'll get work experience, which will be helpful in the competitive job market once you graduate plus, the things you learn will be directly relevant to subjects you'll study at university. There's also a good chance of a job offer from your sponsoring company!

I chose Imagination as it is a one of the UK's leading companies in the world of technology. It started off as a small company and shortly managed to make itself one of the most recognisable names in a variety of markets. As an engineer I would always want to work for a company that always promotes innovation the same way Imagination manages to.

Last summer I worked for Pure's Design Assurance group. I had a great time testing the functionality and improving the quality of products designed by Pure. This helped me apply my university education and further my knowledge on more practical and modern technology applications.

From the first day, I was made to feel welcome by my colleagues. Everybody is always keen to help and give advice when needed. I especially loved the fact that everyone was open and friendly with each other. It makes working much more productive and enjoyable.

I am currently studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering. I am on my way to achieving a Masters of Engineering on the topic next summer. The key to opening doors for the future is to work hard whilst at university. Once you have done that you can get a fascinating job as an engineer. Always look for a job that will make you happy and that interests you. Combining interest with work helps you achieve good and passionate engineering. Imagination is place that offers that for engineers.

I chose Imagination after researching the company on their website. I wanted to see the work that they are doing first hand and gain experience within an exciting area. The location of the company was also very beneficial, as it has very good transport links.

I worked in the PowerVR area which designs Imagination’s Graphics, Video and Display technologies. I was doing a placement working on block level testing of digital systems.

My time at Imagination was very enjoyable, especially due to the people in my office (who were all really helpful and friendly). I gained valuable experience and got to apply what I had learnt through my studies to the tasks and projects I was working on.

The route I have taken so far included Electronics at GCSE and A-level and then moving onto a degree in Electronic Engineering. The best way to ensure you will be successful in getting where you want to be is to take every opportunity to gain experience. Whether this is interview or technical experience, it will all help you in the future.