Arm
Cambridge
During my placement at Arm, I worked within a software engineering team that develops tools and infrastructure to support the development of computer chips. Rather than designing hardware directly, the team creates software that automates engineering tasks, improves consistency across projects, and helps engineers work more efficiently. I had the opportunity to contribute to real engineering projects while gaining knowledge of how large technology companies develop complex products. During my placement I built a representative test environment for the team's tools and products as a means for internal trialing and validation before release to the wider organisation. Throughout, I developed both my technical knowledge and professional skills by working in a collaborative engineering environment and taking ownership of my work.
My primary project involved creating software to support the development of an example chip testing environment, using and integrating the team's existing products to accurately represent a real project within the organisation. This included developing and improving software and creating automated tests to ensure reliability. This had real impact even before my project was completed as engineers within my team used my project to test new features and versions of their tools, and in the future will help the entire wider team create and validate future development.
Throughout my placement, I strengthened my software development skills by working on production-quality code within a large collaborative codebase. I gained experience designing automated tests, analysing existing software, debugging complex systems, and writing maintainable code. I also developed a better understanding of software development practices used in industry, including version control, code reviews, continuous integration, and automated testing. Most importantly, I gained greater knowledge of how software supports the development and verification of modern computer hardware.
Working within a large engineering organisation helped me develop my communication, teamwork, and problem-solving skills. I learned how to communicate technical ideas clearly with colleagues from different backgrounds, seek feedback effectively, and collaborate within a distributed team. The placement improved my ability to work independently by planning tasks, taking ownership of my work and recognising when to seek guidance. I learnt the importance of producing work that can be easily understood and maintained by others, mainly through clear documentation.