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Reasearch & Development - Employee Profile

Name:	Ryan
Year Hired:	2006
Location:	Germany
Position:	R&D Senior Software Engineer
Languages:	English, German
Interests:	Guitar, investing, reading, running, soccer, traveling, writing
Hometown:	Wichita Falls, Texas, US
Experience:	Software engineer at Sterling Software, Lucent Technologies
Education:	BS in Computer Science and Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington

Q: How would you describe yourself, and what motivates and energizes you in your professional life?

A: I would describe myself as an ambitious and hardworking engineer strongly focused on business results and open to other cultures and ideas. I am motivated by seeing my initial design conceptions translated into concrete software products that have immediate customer benefit. Being a part of an international company with highly skilled engineers from different cultural backgrounds is a perfect complement to my desire to work in a diverse environment.

Q: Why did you choose Verigy?

A: I chose Verigy for several reasons. First, I wanted to become a part of a smaller, dynamic, "pure-play" organization with strong growth potential in an exciting industry I can relate to. Second, I was very impressed by the friendly, open work environment and the opportunity to interact both directly with customers and with international teams. Third, as a software engineer, I was inspired by the fact that Verigy is not afraid to embrace new software technologies (e.g. component development, Eclipse as a tool framework, Ruby for scripting, etc.); as a developer, you have the opportunity to work with multiple software methodologies simultaneously, keeping you fresh and improving your skill set while on the job. Finally, the outstanding reputation and wide deployment base of the Verigy 93k gives me confidence that there will be plenty of new R&D developments for years to come, keeping me busy with new and exciting projects.

Q: How do you think the people at Verigy differ from other places you’ve worked?

A: The engineers at Verigy have a "can do" attitude and are accustomed to working pragmatically to keep customers satisfied. There is very little bureaucracy in the organization, and most engineers rely on their personal contacts to get timely answers rather than going through a systematic process. This emphasizes the need to have an open workplace, where spontaneous technical questions and discussions are always welcome. It is commonplace to have a quick exchange of ideas in the hallway or over a cup of coffee.

Q: What do you love about your job or what do you find the most rewarding?

A: I find it most rewarding to be able to present my contributions directly to customers and to personally experience their reaction. It is an unforgettable experience when the customer highly praises something you have personally invested so much time and effort on, giving you the certainty and satisfaction that you have made a difference.

Q: What is most challenging about your job?

A: The most challenging part of the job as a software engineer is introducing new, innovative features while still maintaining full backwards compatibility with old ones. Parts of the software are over 15 years old and are still maintained because at least one customer still needs that functionality. With every new generation of software features, the code base grows and grows, making it difficult to understand the original requirements and to maintain consistency between new concepts and the ones introduced over a decade ago.