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Graduate profile: Kalam

"To be honest, I didn't know that much about Siemens beforehand, apart from their mobile phone business. But when I was looking into the company and other offers I'd had, I found that Siemens has a history of engineering excellence and that it’s a worldwide corporation prominent in many countries, which were all important to me.

Roke Manor Research in its own right has a long tradition of innovation and cutting edge technology. From an engineering graduate’s point of view, there are great projects here and it's a fantastic environment.

...there are great projects here and it's a fantastic environment.

As well as meeting the team and my manager in the first week, it started to dawn on me how big Siemens really is. We build everything from trains to power stations. I was also thrown straight into the lion's den, so to speak, on a project with critical deadlines. My first project was to do with 3G base stations - I didn't know much about mobile networks to begin with let alone 3G, so I had to learn everything I could as soon as possible. The fact that there are clever people around you helps. No one says, "Go away, I'm busy." when you need help. In fact it's really relaxed around here.

Outside Roke, I also took part in a ‘Siemens One’ project that involved all relevant business units. We had to monitor lorry usage on UK roads using GPS and relay the information back to central control. I was involved in the testing phase, verifying the system of a potential multi-billion pound project. This was one of my best experiences to date, especially as it meant I got to meet and work with graduates from other parts of the Siemens businesses.

...I put together the application - budgets and all - and then presented it to the management...

Not all projects are external. Siemens has an initiative called Private Ventures, which is a way to develop entrepreneurialism in its engineers. What happens is that we brainstorm new market areas and opportunities. I'd been interested in Grid computing while I was at uni, so with the help of my manager I put together the application - budgets and all - and then presented it to the management, which was nerve-wracking but a boost to my confidence in the long term, especially when they approved the project. I'm running it alongside my current work, and gaining project management experience I'd otherwise have to wait for.

IET accreditation is built into this part of the Graduate Development Programme but a lot of training is on the job. That makes sense, when you think about it, because you can read as many books as you like but you don't experience any real aspects of engineering until you actually go through it.

In terms of future plans, I'd like to reach project management and consultancy levels - preferably as quickly and painlessly as possible!"