"There is always something fresh to look forward to. Calnex products cover a wide range of applications and as a system test engineer I am always considering how new product features are going to be used in real-world applications."
What did you study and where?
I studied at the University of Glasgow where I graduated with an MSc in Physics with Astrophysics.
What initially attracted you to the Graduate role at Calnex?
I was introduced to Calnex when I heard about the company at a party – seriously! When looking online at the careers page the graduate system test engineer position interested me because my degree was mostly theoretical work and I wanted to get more practical hands-on experience coming out of university.
Tell us any highlights you have experienced since starting with Calnex
I joined during lockdown and enjoyed the on-boarding & socialising experiences a lot. Calnex organises regular social events and, since everything was online at the time, it was a good opportunity to meet people from across the world that I might not have met otherwise. It was also good to catch up with these people again at the annual summer event!
What do you enjoy most about your job?
There is always something fresh to look forward to. Calnex products cover a wide range of applications and as a system test engineer I am always considering how new product features are going to be used in real-world applications. This can range from use in data centres to use cases with 5G cell towers in the field. I particularly enjoy having the opportunity to learn about different parts of the telecoms industry, gain a bit of knowledge each time, and then apply it in a way that improves system test coverage.
Most challenging aspects of your job?
When I first joined Calnex the most difficult part was the learning curve. There is a lot of industry standards & protocols to be familiarised with and quite a few acronyms to take note of as well. This required a fair bit of reading to begin with, but Calnex also run a weekly training session with small teams of people covering different topics to help bring people up to speed. Over time (and having to revisit a few sessions) the protocols & acronyms started to become more familiar.
What advice would you give to anyone considering a Graduate role at Calnex?
It’s a great place to be as a graduate so I would say go for it. I was quite nervous about coming into Calnex as the work is more specialised in the electronics & telecoms field than what I was previously exposed to in university. When I first joined, I was given time to study some of the finer details I might not have seen before and when I needed any assistance, colleagues in the team were always willing to put some time aside to help.
Tell us something that surprised you about Calnex when you came?
I like the workplace environment a lot. Everyone is very focused at work and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. You are introduced to the senior management team early on when you join, and it was surprising to me that they weren’t only interested in how work was going but were also wanting to chat about things outside of work. This is often how it is day-to-day so when you bump into someone when grabbing a coffee in the kitchen, people are always catching up and it’s a nice environment to be a part of.
