Meet Weijia Yao, UBC Okanagan Master of Engineering (M.Eng) Electrical alumnus (2023). He shares how his experience in the MEng program helped him expand his professional network, add to his technical skills and knowledge, while also advancing his leadership and teamwork skills.
His time in the MEng program helped him land an exciting new role in his field. Congratulations, Weijia!
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Weijia Yao. I graduated from UBCO’s Master of Engineering (Meng) program in May of 2023 as an international student.
I was offered and accepted a role with Dometic as a software engineer in firmware development after I finished my coop term with the company.
I really enjoy the work that I am doing and life in Vancouver. In my spare time, I enjoy playing basketball and hiking.
What drew you to UBC Okanagan and the School of Engineering?
The electrical engineering at UBCO was a fit with my interests, and the coop program provided a great transition into my career.
What were some of your fondest memories of your time at UBCO?
The first thing that I can recall is the Arduino development that I worked on with one of my professors. I learnt a lot from the project, and gained a lot of handy practice on the real firmware development. This provided me a great base for future career preparation.
How did the MEng program prepare you for your current/future work/research/study?
The mechatronic course gave me a good knowledge base for my current work, including motor design and PID tuning.
The coop program provided a great work experience, which led directly into my current work as a software engineer.
Why did you decide to join the internship?
Firstly, it can be great transition into job searching after graduation. Secondly, it provided a good chance to meet people from the industry and strengthen my network.
How has the internship helped you achieve your career goals?
I gained firmware develop experience by being assigned a basic driver development which triggered my interests in this area. The internship experience encouraged me to apply to the job right after the coop term, and my supervisor interviewed me by supervising me during the task. By the end of the task, the job was successfully done, and I got a job offer.
What did the professional development opportunities mean to you?
It gave me the opportunity to be in the workplace, get involved in a good project, play a role as a good team player, and build good relationships with my teammates during the project.
These are some of the greatest professional development opportunities I could have received.
What advice do you have for incoming students to the MEng program?
Try coop and an on-campus project to find the industry that you are fond of. Enjoy yourself and find values in your career life.
What do you like most about your role as a software engineer working in firmware development?
It is great rewarding to see software that I built and tested successfully applied into a real-life product. Right now, I am building a boat stabilization system which can help the boat auto-level itself during a cruise, so it will add comfort to the driver and passenger experiences.
What are your future aspirations?
I am looking to build my experience on firmware development and then hopefully explore a chance to combine traditional firmware industry and cutting-edge AI technology.