Program/ Year: Electrical Engineering, Fourth YearEmployer: JDS Uniphase Inc. (JDSU) Job title: Hardware – FPGA development/testing Work term: Winter 2012

 

Main duties:

Initially, I had to learn and get up to speed with the team. This was made easy as my team had good reference documentation. My main duty is working with FPGA’s (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) on optical cards that are used in the backbone communication infrastructure so that your live chat is streamed across oceans with no jitter. I write code in a unique language known as hardware description language (eg. Verilog )

What do you like best about your work?

Working at JDS Uniphase is like working with your best friends. The professional environment along with friendly colleagues makes it one of a kind experience. I enjoy the relatively small size of my team of 6, including myself. Because of the size, the level of involvement is high and you get to play a part in achieving major goals and targets. Getting to work with FPGA’s in a specific application is very exciting and rewarding.

How has this placement benefitted your studies?

My placement at JDSU has added allot to my previous knowledge I got from school. Courses that I have used include ELEC 2501, ELEC 2607, ELEC 3500, ELEC 4601, SYSC 2002, SYSC 2004, SYSC 3600, SYSC 3006, ECOR 1606. Most important courses that apply to my placement are ELEC 2607 and ELEC 3500. I am now planning on taking couple of my forth year courses related to hardware design working with FPGA’s.

Has this work term helped with any future career decisions?

Absolutely!  My position as Hardware-FPGA development/testing has made me think of alternative applications. Whatever those applications may be, my experience working at JDSU has strengthened my fundamentals. I believe this experience will give way to many more opportunities, whether at JDSU or elsewhere. 

What’s one tip you’d pass along to new co-op students?

I would recommend the co-op program to everyone, even if you know what you want to do. I recommend trying out different placements throughout your co-op terms. This will open up new ideas, doors and give you a real picture of what is out there and what you really want to do while enjoying it. You will get to meet a lot of great people along the way, and this will help you in the future to get any type of job close to your areas of interest with ease.  Work hard, manage your time and get involved with co-op. What are you waiting for?