What's your job about?
Dolby specialised in delivering immersive sight and sound experiences for consumers and creatives through our software products. I work on audio enhancement features behind the Dolby.io Communications APIs which enable developers to integrate high-quality conferencing services into their products. Our team writes algorithms that process conference audio using skills and knowledge in programming, digital signal processing, and machine learning. Our products are designed to run on any platform, device, and environment to remove interferences, such as echo and noise, and enhance signals including voice and music. Apart from writing code, my job also involves training machine learning models, creating tests to monitor regression, and debugging.
What's your background?
I grew up in Sydney and spent six years completing double degrees in Engineering and Science. I stepped into university looking forward to courses ahead of me while having little idea of what I would pursue as a career. It was through the internships, co-curricular activities, and creating friendships with like-minded individuals that I discovered the areas I liked and disliked. I found that the most important driver behind my growth and discovery was the mentality of embracing opportunities to step outside of my comfort zone. Once tasks were labeled as uncomfortable, uncertain, or unknown, seizing the chance to understand and overcome these hurdles was often what accelerated advancement along my journey. After multiple research and internship opportunities, this mentality eventually led me towards an intern role at Dolby, where I found alignment with my interests and fulfillment of my thirst for challenges. It has been over 2.5 years since I re-joined Dolby upon graduation to start my career.
Could someone with a different background do your job?
Yes. Dolby is home to engineers from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. For graduates looking for a role at Dolby, they do not necessarily need the exact same combination of degrees and experiences as me. For a career in signal processing, a strong foundation in quantitative and programming skills is highly recommended. A number of degrees provide these skill sets. Additionally, previous relevant internship experience combined with a strong willingness and capability to learn is also looked upon favourably by hiring managers.
What's the coolest thing about your job?
What I love most about my job is the rapid, tangible impact that I am able to deliver to customers. Working in the conferencing space, our impact stretches to every corner of the world, helping end users connect, communicate and collaborate. In my team, we are able to drive the audio processing component of a product from scratchpad days to market, and this is a very rewarding cycle. Within this cycle, programming occupies a significant portion, and I enjoy designing and implementing the code that is executed on customer devices.
What are the limitations of your job?
One of the limitations of engineering roles is that the development cycle involves iterations and repetitions such that robust solutions can be delivered within constraints. Projects can also deviate from expectations, which means that engineers are required to be quick on their feet, think critically, and examine alternative approaches efficiently. This may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but these challenges are what makes the job interesting for me, and are often the most growth-stimulating moments in retrospect.
3 pieces of advice for your university-self?