Texas Instruments

I started my career in design, which gave me a lot of an exposure and foundation into product development.  My initial move to marketing, as a C2000™ Microcontroller marketing manager, helped me understand the dynamics and structure of the TI field and our customers. TI has always provided an environment to foster my growth and skills. The people are very professional, technical and great to work with! I think we live by some simple rules at TI: you should treat everyone as if they are your customer, have a vision for your future and take bold steps to get there, and work as accurately and as fast as you can. TI is a dynamic place to work, and no day is ever the same, but you will find yourself doing some of the same things, such as replying to field questions, attending customer meetings, aligning with other TI teams, steering work by setting priorities, closing device actions, reflecting on strategy, and learning from other groups.

I wanted to work for an international high-tech company, so I chose TI. I've worked with TI in the UK and Sweden but now, I'm the European Marketing Manager for one of TI’s analog business units based in Germany. You have great opportunities to grow at TI if you are willing to be curious, look for new opportunities and expand your network. It's very rewarding to work with such smart, respectful, hardworking people. TI doesn't tell you exactly how to get things done, but the overall goals are well communicated, so you can pursue them with passion and energy. Test your ideas, lead by example, and share the experience, and others will follow. The more information you share, the more others will share with you.

TI has provided me with many opportunities. I've done product, test and application engineering, systems and marketing, and product line management—from concept to customer delivery. There's always something new to learn, and you should learn as much as you can. It's the challenges I get to work on every day that keep me here. I get to constantly figure out how to do things more efficiently, and it forces me to be innovative. Collaboration is important, too, and you need to have a good network inside TI to get things done. Build relationships with senior engineers and managers, consider all the factors of a project, and use the systems that are in place to get things done.

I think what really keeps me here at TI is the people. I work with smart, motivated, ethical people—and that's not easy to find everywhere. If you want to move forward at TI, being self-motivated and inquisitive about everything is the key. I would say the best way to advance your career is to always be asking questions and finding new ways to get things done. Basically, there is no typical workday here. The days can vary pretty dramatically. Some days I have large blocks of time to work on tasks and projects on my own. Other days, I'm working entirely with my team. The variability of my days is one of the things I like best at TI.

TI’s family-first philosophy, in addition to numerous worldwide recognitions as one of the best employers, was one of the deciding factors for me to join TI. As a new college graduate, the Applications Engineering Program was the perfect place to start my engineering career. I am challenged daily and learning from exceptional leaders. Not only do I get to experience different aspects of product and customer focuses, the “learn by doing” approach at TI integrates deep technical training with a vast amount of lab time. Best of all, I get to do what I love and be an important team contributor at TI everyday!

We are a team that shares knowledge, thinks about an issue from many different angles, and supports our customer together. When I arrived at TI, I was fresh out of graduate school—with no corporate experience, and limited experience presenting to and challenging customers. Over time, not only did I broaden my knowledge and skill set through different roles, I grew tremendously through hands-on experience. There are a plethora of options at TI.  The opportunities at TI will gain you more experience, but those opportunities are only valuable if you use them to learn more about your strengths and weaknesses, and challenge yourself to evolve.

I chose the Applications Engineering Program because it provided the perfect bridge between theory and real-world applications. My experience in the program, and in my role now as a field applications engineer, has enabled me to help TI gain significant share by integrating my college experience with the knowledge gained during my work rotations. I think it’s important to realize that the Applications Engineering Program is more than just a program...it’s also family – individuals who I have an instantaneous bond with. Engineers like myself who have a passion for driving customer success.

The Applications Engineering Program is the perfect transition between college and the real world. The ability to “test run” different positions inside of TI via a rotational program allows you to discover your strengths as well as the many career paths TI has to offer. You are given an opportunity to work along side some of the best engineers in the industry and take responsibility for many high profile projects with big customers. The deep technical training and customer experience you gain while in the program will stay with you throughout your entire career.

I was hired just out of engineering school, and now I'm a sales director in Western Europe. I've stayed at TI because of continuous opportunities to grow personally and professionally in a very dynamic market. TI gives you the opportunity to put your ideas in practice and makes you accountable for your actions. You can see the impact of what you do and this is very rewarding professionally and personally. Moreover, great ideas come from individuals, but great implementation—especially in today's world—comes from great teams working closely together. Collaboration is essential in any work you do at TI.

The experiences I gained in the Applications Engineering Program were essential for the successes I enjoy and work toward today as an Analog Field Applications Engineer. The relationships I built throughout my product group rotations has enabled me to effectively bridge customers and their challenges with some of the brightest minds in the industry to develop creative solutions on a day-to-day basis. This coordinated effort provides me with the experience and satisfaction of working with professionals of various segments of the electronics industry. It’s particularly exciting to recognize customer electronic products in media and on store shelves and to be able to say that some of my ideas brought that product to reality.

Coming out of college I still wasn’t sure what area of Electrical Engineering I wanted to pursue. Since starting the Applications Engineering Program, I’ve rotated within Applications Engineering groups that varied in their technical depth and breadth, but have also been exposed to many aspects of EE including Control Systems, Communications, Microelectronics, Power Systems, Magnetics, and RF system design as well as a variety of schematic, layout, and modeling tools. I work with leaders in the industry every day, am consistently challenged, and even as a junior engineer can see the impact of my contributions. Applications Engineering is so uniquely positioned between sales and design, that I know this role has equipped me to succeed regardless of what direction my career takes me.

I completed four rotations at TI in two years: wireless operations in Dallas and France, then finance roles in Education Technology and High-Volume Analog and Logic. These rotations allowed me to learn about TI's different businesses quickly and helped me select my current role (which I love)—product line manager in Education Technology. It allows me to combine analytical skills with strategic programs. I've taken nuggets of knowledge from each of my positions and incorporated them into my current role. To get ahead at TI, don't be afraid to ask questions, but know who and when to ask.  Tell people what you're interested in, so they can keep you in mind as opportunities surface.

In just my first month in the program I was able to assist several large customers in solving circuit design problems, create an evaluation module for a 12-bit DAC, and meet with top management at TI. I have been stretched to learn the fine points in good design and learn how to better interact with people. The Applications Engineering Program is preparing me for a long-term career in Analog Applications Engineering. It is a challenging entry-level opportunity, but if you want to learn applications engineering and be the best – this program is how to get there.