New Grads

Operations, Electronic Packaging - Engineer

Bachelors of Science in Computer Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Atlanta, GA

Aziza graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology with an impressive collegiate resume. She was mentored by three of Georgia Tech's top computer electrical engineering professors and was awarded the President's Undergraduate Research Scholarship for writing SKILL code to determine wire length in a Cadence Virtuoso environment. As a result of her outstanding academic performance on partial MCM design and EBG plane design at the packaging research center (PRC) of Tech, one of her professors referred her to a Broadcom principal engineer in Package Engineering Operations. Her research work, in addition to her impressive resume and interview earned her a full-time offer and she joined the Broadcom family at the start of 2007. Since then, Aziza has taken advantage of the plethora of learning and career opportunities available at Broadcom.

"Broadcom offers diverse opportunities in the electronic packaging group. These include such fields as electronic package design, signal integrity in packaging and quality/reliability in a package, where a new hire, such as myself, can contribute."

During her first year, Aziza learned that the Broadcom culture involves two key elements---great team work and superior technological innovations. She finds her colleagues and manager to be very receptive and encouraging.

"The support system at Broadcom makes this one of the best places to work. If I don't know the answer to something, I can look to my colleagues who will help me find the solution." Additionally, her manager teaches her to be confident as a new hire among so many experienced engineers.

Broadcom's defining characteristic is its superior technology. "Wow, we really live by our motto of 'connecting everything,' since our ICs are inside of your cell phones, TVs, home routers and laptops." Aziza enjoys the recognition she gets from friends and family as part of a cutting-edge technology company. "It's very rewarding when my friends says that they got this laptop or that mobile device and they could see Broadcom ICs in it."

One of the interesting Broadcom-enabled technologies Aziza is working on currently is halogen-free (HF) substrate technology. Going "green" is one of the primary focuses within the IC industry at present and is a key component for Broadcom to engage with its customers. As Aziza explains, "we want HF substrate in an IC package because halogen Bromine depletes the ozone layer that is responsible for the greenhouse effect and can also cause skin cancer."

Her greatest satisfaction is being part of the solution by working directly with HF substrate design. This involves dealing with assembly suppliers who will provide solutions and work with Broadcom products and reliability engineers to monitor the final product performance. "It is simply great to work in the packaging team. I hope to do more substrate designs using APD in the future and help make the IC package world totally "green" with HF substrate!"

Finance - Financial Analyst

Bachelors of Science in Finance from the University of Colorado. Boulder, Colorado.

Although Elizabeth holds a degree in finance, she is just a few credits shy of a Bachelors of Science degree in electrical engineering, which complements her career path very well at Broadcom.

"My current role in the Wireless Connectivity Group in the Bluetooth line of business offers me the opportunity to experience a CFO-type role in that it consists of many responsibilities, including revenue analysis and projections, expense control, resource planning, operational planning, revenue and expense forecasting, as well as market and competitor analysis. I'm thoroughly involved in all aspects of the Bluetooth business and have become a valuable resource for information regarding our demand assessment, expense forecasting and headcount / resource planning processes."

Elizabeth has learned that the rare opportunity to be involved in high-level business decisions is more than a 9 to 5 job. However, this on-the-job learning will have a powerful impact on her long-term financial career. To help balance out the demands at work, Broadcom strongly encourages and provides for a healthy work-life balance.

"I don't think Broadcom is for people who want an easy career, but with the stresses there is also a rewarding sense of ownership, support and community here. The company attempts to provide a happy and healthy environment for employees through subsidized on-campus programs like the cafeterias, coffee shops and fully-equipped gym."

As part of the Wireless Connectivity Group, Elizabeth helps develop what she describes as "one of the most innovative and far-reaching technologies available today." Found in several markets, including the automotive, cellular and consumer electronics industries, Bluetooth technology "allows for wireless freedom which is in-line with the technology of the future," as well as Broadcom's motto to "connect everything" via wired and wireless communications.

When asked what has impressed her most at Broadcom, Elizabeth highlighted the "entrepreneurial energized feeling." The first Broadcom engineers and supporting staff continue to be just as passionate about their work and efforts in making Broadcom the leading communications semiconductor company as they were 10 years ago. New hires now have the added benefit of being mentored by these "seasoned professionals." As Elizabeth explains, "There are so many brilliant minds and great people at Broadcom that it's hard not to want to come to work! I plan on establishing a career here to develop my expertise that I can share with future generations at Broadcom."

Library Development - IC Design Engineer

Bachelors of Science in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University. Hyderabad, India. Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Shivarajan Vadlapudi learned about the internship opportunities with Broadcom from personal recommendations made to him by a professor who had friends employed in the company. Following up on his professor's input, Shivarajan read through the company's website and was excited to learn that Broadcom ranked second in the number of Intellectual Property filings per year and attributed much of its innovative success to the collaborative work culture. With this type of work environment, Shivarajan set his expectations high and decided to apply for an internship at Broadcom.

"I like the way employees interact. It's a very informal setting where ideas are always welcome and projects are very interesting and challenging. Plus, the employee work hours are flexible. One of my favorite perks are the free snacks that helped keep me going throughout the day."

Even after all of his research, Shivaranjan's was surprised by the unique opportunities available to interns at Broadcom, specifically the chance to actively participate on live projects under the mentorship of veteran engineers.

"While a lot of my friends who interned in other VLSI companies typically worked on dummy projects, I had the rare opportunity to work on actual real-life projects. Moreover, I was given the freedom to experiment and try different tools which gave me a taste of the real IC design challenges engineers encounter on a project. It was really a fortunate experience that made my internship fun, dynamic and challenging."

As a result of these experiences, Shivarajan was able to contribute to technological advances in the library development group, which resulted in Shivarajan accepting a full-time position in October 2008.

Bluetooth technology and mobile processors are of particular interest to Shivaranjan, who "believes that wireless applications will rule in the next generation." He is being mentored to help drive technological innovations by a team of seasoned professionals. "I just love the concept of small teams working together to achieve a common and significant goal," he explains. "There is a lot to learn, but my mentors help a lot in guiding me through hands-on projects."