Being A Design Verification Engineer Is Fun And Rewarding

Philippe Luc, director of verification at Codasip, talked to students of the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) about what it is like to be a verification engineer.

On one hand the UKESF encourages young people to study electronics and pursue careers in this sector, and on the other hand Codasip is very keen to help prepare the engineers who will solve tomorrow’s technology challenges. Philippe’s talk was very well welcomed and we felt we should share it more broadly. If you are a student and wondering what to do next, this blog and his talk are for you.

Here is a sneak peek at the webinar, which we summarize in this blog.

Being a verification engineer is fun

In Philippe’s mind, being a verification engineer is fun. There is no daily routine, each project you work on is different, and each bug you find has its own story. What makes a good engineer is their ability to solve problems that never existed before. That’s even more true for verification engineers. This is something that you learn at school, but also throughout our career. Scratching your head, connecting the dots, finding the best ways to ensure quality through innovative techniques, there is no way you can get bored in your job.

Being a verification engineer is rewarding

From processors in smartphones to smart cards and small embedded devices in your home, it is very rewarding to, one day, have in your hands a product you worked on.

But even before this happens, being a verification engineer is rewarding. If a design verification engineer has the luxury to take a specification and turn it into a quality, cost-efficient, energy-efficient, performant product that is ready when the market needs it, a verification engineer has the power to prove that all of the above works in every single situation, regardless of the configuration, program that is running, external environment, etc.

Without the design – there is no product. Without verification of the design – there is no product either, as it wouldn’t fit the quality requirement of any customer.

What makes a good verification engineer

As mentioned before, a good verification engineer can solve problems that never existed before. In other words, what makes a good verification engineer is the right mindset. But, let’s not give away too much in this article. Philippe tells more in the webinar linked at the bottom of this page.

Verification engineers have a bright future

In the 1980s, we could count approximately one computer for 100 households. In the 2000s, it became one computer per household. Today, there are at least 10 processors just in your pocket! And of course a lot more in the household now.

The electronics market is growing and evolving. Will our job still exist in 20, 30, 40 years? Based on today’s digital world, yes. Everything includes at least one processor. Smartphones, music players, cameras, earbuds, door bells, coffee machines, light bulbs, you name it. The technology will change, as we have seen it in the past, but the skillset students are gaining today will be similar.

If this blog post made you consider a career as a verification engineer, you should watch the full webinar where Philippe shares a lot more details and insights.