Amruta Tagare

"I think the personality types match me well. I perform multiple roles in my job. I am a senior embedded software engineer and a project engineer (similar to project manager). COACH - In both these roles, I listen to people from different backgrounds and personalities. I solve wide range of problems. I am honest with people, even when I can not help them. This helps build trust, and makes me approachable.MANAGER - Working with a team means you help everyone work well together. Some people talk a lot, some talk very little. As a project engineer I must understand what everyone thinks to solve a problem. I encourage everyone to share their thoughts. I absorb all the information and think of a solution that works for all.QUALITY CONTROLLER - Attention to detail is needed in both roles. As an engineer I must pay close attention to how the code behaves, what other code it affects and what it does not do. As a project engineer I must keep an eye on who in my team is stuck, what work needs to be done urgently, are we on target to complete project on time."

"I perform 2 roles - senior embedded software engineer and project engineer.Senior Embedded Software Engineer - I write software. It is programmed into a microcontroller. This microcontroller goes into an aeroplane. The code I write helps the pilot communicate with people on ground (air traffic control). It also helps passengers browse internet during flight.Project Engineer - I make sure the software team completes all code needed to go on the microcontroller. I make sure software team has all the tools they need to do their work. I tell them which bit of work to do first. I help them solve problems. I ensure we don't overspend the money we have to complete the work. All this helps us to be ready to put software in microcontroller on time for the flight.I like the trust that everyone places in me to make the right decision. I enjoy making good quality software. I like it when our client is happy with our work. As a fresh graduate you can earn between 24K - 32K per year.As a senior engineer (5 - 8 years experience), you can get paid between 40K to 55K per year. You can then become principal engineer after 12 - 15 years experience. You can get paid between 60K - 85K per year.As a project engineer you can get paid between 40K to 50K per year.When you become Project Manager i.e. manage software + hardware + sales + manufacturing, you can get paid between 60K and 100K per year."

"I grew up in India. It was very important for me to become financially independent. When I learnt that I would earn better if I became an engineer, I chose a degree in engineering.When I went to college, I enjoyed building robots and writing code for it, more than memorising for exams. I didn't not always get a good mark in exams. I did not give up. Having a Bachelors degree was very important to get a good job.I got a job in Information Technology sector in India. On daily basis I would ensure one of the servers used by our client was working correctly. I was promoted to come to UK and work with client directly to make improvements to this server. It seemed like an adventure to go to a new country and learn about different culture and new technology. I enjoyed my work in UK. I made friends with people I worked with. I saved enough money to do a Masters degree.I did my masters in Embedded Systems and Control from University of Leicester, UK. There are few engineers who can do this. Those who can, are in great demand in UK. They get paid very well. Since it was my favourite subject, I enjoyed working hard at it. I came top of my class and passed with distinction. While I was doing my masters I did a part time job for Fire & Security firm. This gave me invaluable experience. I wrote code to control fire curtains, that were installed in big factories or homes in London. I was able to use this experience to secure my next job in Oil and Gas Service sector.I worked on tools that are used to dig holes to extract oil and gas. I also worked on tools that took underground measurements. These tools were complex and sometimes had more than 4 micro-controllers! I found this complexity thrilling. I had to also work with electrical and mechanical engineers to understand how their bits worked. This gave me an opportunity to learn about other fields of engineering.As I became more experienced, I started mentoring junior engineers and managing small projects. When I felt I could not learn any more in a role, I moved to a new job. I currently work in Aerospace sector. I still enjoy learning new things. I have also taught 'Programming in C' in a local college."

"I like to travel. I travelled to Florence in Autumn of 2019. I like to experience different cultures and cuisines.I tinker in my garden. I love watching seeds grow into beautiful plants.On a day when the weather isn't great, I like to snuggle up with a good book and a cup of coffee. I read mainly fiction, both Indian and International.I enjoy playing badminton. I love playing doubles with my husband and friends.When I am tired I enjoy a good Marvel movie."

"On a typical day, I start work at 9am.I spend 30 mins answering any emails that I may have got. I also check what work was completed the previous day.We have a daily change management meeting daily at 9:30am. In this meeting we discuss the code changes that team members have made. We check that these changes will not break anything. We make a note of all that the change will affect. Then we collectively decide whether to approve that change or if it needs further work. I contribute in this discussion by sharing what I know about the code and if that change is needed to complete project on time.After this meeting, I spend some time assigning more work for team members or helping them solve their problem. Then I start working on the code myself. I need to read a lot of code to understand where I must make a change. I test my code on electronics boards. This confirms if the changes are good. I save these changes for next day's change management meeting.I take a lunch break at 12. Most of my afternoons are filled with meetings. I provide update to project manager on progress we have made on software. I have discussions with other teams about tools or boards we need from them for our team. I talk to software suppliers about the progress they have made. I organise audit for our site. This involves finding out what information we need for audit, finding out who has that information, collecting it and passing it to auditor. I organise meetings with auditor. I also answer many of his questions. If he is happy with us, we get a certificate to say we work well and produce good code. This makes our customers trust us.If I have free time in the afternoon, I make some more code changes. I finish work at 5:30pm."

"Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Telecommunication. [2004 - 2007 University of Pune, India]Master of Science in Embedded Systems and Control. [2010 - 2011 University of Leicester, UK]Prince2 Practitioner (Project Management) [2018, UK]Machine Learning online certificate [2019, Stanford University]"