This month, June, marks the beginning of my 4-month Industrial Training in AMD Penang!

Since a healthy number of people use AMD microprocessors and/or ATI graphics cards, I think there is no need to introduce the company. Instead, let me introduce the workplace!

Apparently there is a policy of not allowing cameras in the office and production areas, so I think more than half of the photos in this post are illegal… but never mind… =D

We interns were assigned cubicles on the top floor while the engineers (our supervisors included) have their offices one floor beneath us!

Being insulated by the solid cement floor under our feet, and populated only by wild and energetic interns, the top floor usually transforms into a very… inconducive working environment near 5PM.  Ahem.

I mean, haha, after a whole day of intensive working you’d totally look forward to 5PM right? Cuz after work means going out!=D How to keep quiet and stay put?

Of course, during hours other than those near 5PM, we usually spend most of our time down in the production facility, where virtually everything engineering-ish is located at – analysis and engineering labs, R&D and production assembly lines… everything!

The very cool (at first, later became very annoying) thing about the production facility is that we had to wear like this before going in:

Being unfamiliar with semiconductor production facilities, wearing some tight top-to-toe attire and stepping into a self-locking ‘air shower’ compartment before gaining access into a huge, bright room with an infinite sea of hi-tech machines and fluorescent lights spanning densely across the floor and ceiling, coupled with the sight of masked people in white smocks walking around inspecting machines and operating mounted computers… *catches breathe* reminded me bluntly of the scene in the film Independence Day:

… where the president walked into the ultra-secret science facility in Area 51 and was shown the place where US government conducted experiments on alien spaceships and dead alien bodies.

LOL.

Anyways I must admit that the best thing about working in AMD is the people.

All of us were afraid when we entered AMD on the first day, apprehensive of how our new working environment would be like. But our supervisors were friendly and helpful, and we interns quickly became best pals among ourselves!

Before long we were going out for movies, karaoke, shopping, drinking and everything that can be done by a working guy in Penang! (Except going to Kek Lok Si)

We made a point to hang out after work and not just work, go home, eat, online, sleep, wake up, work, go home, eat, online, sleep…

The ‘no-life-ness’ of a career as an Engineer is a trap that I am super duper eager to avoid even after I graduate in the future.

I can hardly bear the thought that in reality most engineers do exactly that! I mean, with all due respect to our engineer supervisors, we found that they really go through that very same routine for years! =(

Noooo…!

Let’s hope I do not end up like the me in the picture above ten years from now. Hehe… But for now, I’ve got a great place to work! =D

-

P.S. Haha if you’re thinking why my industrial training consists of all play and no work, I’m afraid you’re wrong, sir, very wrong indeed. But since this is my personal blog and not my training logbook, I intend to keep it work and stress free. =)