Qualcomm

Basic Information

Name Varad Deshpande
Curriculum: DD
Year of Study: 4th
Company/University of Internship: Qualcomm
Role during Internship: Modem Systems
Year of Internship (eg. '24 Summers, '23 Winters): ‘24 Summers
Mode of Internship (Online/Offline/Hybrid): Offline
Duration of Internship: 9 weeks

Getting into the Internship:

What specific domain or field did you target to get an internship in?

Being a core enthu, I was determined to do an internship in the core domain. If I had to stray away from core, I would do ML.

What resources did you utilize to prepare for the tests/interviews?

For Qualcomm, I remember recapitulating concepts from EE229 a day before my interview. Speaking more broadly, I revised from my notes for EE224, EE204, EE229 and some miscellaneous things that are popular with core intern interviews. For ML, it was mostly making that sure I knew whatever I had written on my resume.

Can you elaborate on your interview and the type of questions which were asked?

My Qualcomm interview had 2 rounds. Both were mathematically involved, with a good amount of questions revolving around fundamental signals and systems ideas, probability and some topics like linear algebra. One of the interviewers was pretty chill and also just chatted with me for a while.

Were there any significant roadblocks or challenges that you encountered during the internship application and selection process? If so, how did you navigate or overcome them?

I did not face any challenges, thanks to the smooth coordination by our ICs and Placement team.

How did you handle any rejections that you faced (If any) during the internship application process?

My first interview was with Sony Japan, where I was shortlisted for 2 roles. I had a long day with 2 interviews and the TI test falling on the same day. It was declared before the TI test that I had not been selected for one of the roles, and putting aside all doubts, I proceeded to the TI test, just very tired. The final selections for Sony came very late, shattering all hopes with it. Despite the sadness, I quickly realised that I should not let this rejection affect future opportunities and started preparing for other companies

During the internship:

What was your specific profile or project topic during the internship?

Due to a strong non-disclosure agreement, I cannot reveal anymore than that I was working with WiFi.

How would you describe your overall experience as an intern?

Talking about the work, I was given an open-ended problem, so I was free to explore some ideas. It involved some coding and understanding the system. I found the context of my work particularly interesting. My team had really nice people, with whom I would chat about random things. I took food recommendations from them. The office has a pretty good work environment, while offering many avenues for refreshment. The HR department organises some activities very often to make it a happening place.

Could you provide insights into the organizational culture of the company/university and what your peers were like?

Interns have a manager and a mentor. Mentor is whom you interact closely with. It is very informal in the company and I talked to many people outside my team as well. Co-interns come from essentially the same environment as me, and I naturally vibed with them, with late-night trips to RCB Cafe on CSK vs RCB match day, to talking and helping each other with minor technical difficulties

Were there any networking opportunities or professional connections that you established during the internship?

Indeed, just have to go out there and talk to people!

After the internship:

For someone who wants to get a flavour of working in a leading Communications company, I would definitely recommend interning at Qualcomm for Modem Systems role. The exposure definitely helped me understand what kind of problems the industry works on