Ryan Smith joined us from University of Plymouth where he is currently studying Robotics and we have thrown every possible challenge at him.

‍

What do you think of your time with Cubik?

It’s been great! I have learned so much, and that’s above and beyond the technical skills you would typically expect. I’ve picked up some good design tips and lots of best practices that I have seen other designers use. But that is not the reason to do a placement year. A year in a real business offers the opportunity to see how that business works including how customers are dealt with, and how things are done in a real-world setting. It has given me a great insight into the world of electronics, a part of the world which the end user doesn’t typically get to see.

One thing that you don’t experience at university is customers. When you’re writing an essay, or designing a project, the closest thing to a customer that you encounter is your lecturer. At Cubik, I have been given the chance to interact with real customers; to go through design development cycles, talk through problems, and produce reports on tests that I have conducted.

There are not many companies out there that would trust an intern to travel to a customer’s office and trouble shoot problems on behalf of the company.

On reflection, the most important skill I have learned at Cubik is the way to write documents. I know it sounds a bit crazy, but writing a good quality technical document is harder than it initially seems. It needs to hold all the possible information it can, including all the technical stuff; yet also be simple enough for anyone to read. The document could be read by somebody with no technical experience who knows nothing about the design process. This will be helpful in years to come, with final year projects and exams. Being able to write a good quality document is invaluable.

‍

How has this year helped me?

There is only so much university lecturers can teach you about the world of work. No number of exams can prepare you on how to interact with a customer in a particularly tense meeting. Being in an active design environment forces you to think quickly, and to learn even quicker. My Cubik experience has strengthened my desire to be an engineer. I have spoken to other interns who haven’t enjoyed their experiences as much as I have and unfortunately haven’t been given the opportunity to have those experiences. I’m fortunate to have seen every part of the electronic design process and been able to directly be a part of it. Not many interns can say they’ve done that.

‍

Has Cubik helped you?

‍Of course! The things I have learned will help me for many years to come; and will help the rest of my time at university. I have found things I enjoy, and things I don’t. That’s the idea after all. All in all, this year has been a success, and I have gotten everything I wanted out of it, and more. I would recommend a placement with Cubik to anyone.