Inside Intel Germany

Our new series “Inside Intel Germany” spotlights amazing employees and the unique ways they discovered their passions and grew as professionals here. Meet Suganya Athimuthu and learn about her experience launching a career within our Intel Architecture, Graphics and Software Group.

Suganya always wanted to be a part of a big company, and Intel’s reputation in the industry and history of innovation drew her to an internship with us. She joined Intel as a working student during the company’s 50^th anniversary in 2018—a landmark celebration of changing the world through incredible technology.

After her successful internship with Intel Germany in 2018, Suganya stayed with her team and wrote her thesis on “An automated test framework for software deployment based on a comparative study and evaluation of GUI test automation tool”. With a master’s degree in Information Engineering from Kiel University in hand, she joined our team full time in May 2019 as a college graduate.

We recently spoke with Suganya about her career journey with Intel. She shared insights into her growth from intern to young professional, the experiences she’s had along the way, and why Intel is a great place for students to launch their dream career.

Tell us a bit about your current role.

I'm part of the Intel System Debugger Team and work in a sub-team responsible for developing the platform debugger tools to enable debugging of Windows on Intel platforms. Right now, I focus on quality assurance with automated tools and processes. I have a supportive manager who believes in me and offers me challenging tasks which allow me to learn a lot of new things. For example, I am collaborating with different teams in my current role as release manager. I ensure that our software product is released to the customer on time with no risks. This is a challenging responsibility as a new employee; and at the same time it is an opportunity to learn about the release and delivery processes. It is a new experience, and I love it.

What impact are you making with your work?

I'm working on test automation using software automation tools as part of the quality assurance process. My work helps reduce manual labor and reduces the time required for testing the software iterations. With a simple mouse click, you can trigger something to do wonders, right? The machine automatically finishes the task and gives us the test results which we can use to estimate the software quality.

Tell me about your team and how its diverse makeup contributes to its success.

My team is very international. We have people from all around the world and different cultures. We have various perspectives and work cultures and share them with each other. Everyone has a different way of solving the problem. Everyone contributes. We help each other and support each other in everything. If you are blocked on one task, someone will always help you to complete it.

How does Intel support your career development?

I have an incredibly supportive relationship with my manager, Jacek. We have regular meetings and share what is happening inside the team, how I feel about the team, and how I feel about the work I'm doing. He motivates everyone in the team to complete every task in the best way possible and helps us all understand the real impact of our individual work within the team.

Next to my manager, Intel’s leadership also thinks about what is important for employees’ growth. They give equal opportunity to everyone. I am empowered to attend conferences to learn and network, for example.

What advice would you give someone who is thinking about joining Intel—especially young female engineers like you?

Intel is a great place to work. I feel that everyone here has equal opportunities to grow professionally and personally. Society is changing. The question is not, “Are we or are we not equal?” There are equal opportunities for everyone in the technology industry—especially at Intel.

I have a supportive team, a supportive culture, and amazing opportunities for growth. There are so many different projects going on inside Intel, you can choose the work you want to do. You can discover what best fits your passions and interests. This is a flexible environment that allows you to work here throughout your life. No matter what happens. You can be proud to be in a team inside Intel. With your work here, you can really contribute to the company’s success and grow your own career.

Inspired by Suganya’s story? Explore opportunities to launch your career with us on our Intel Germany Careers Page