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From Caledonia to California

Nine weeks ago I departed from rainy Edinburgh and landed more than half a day later in sunny San Jose. Now, I would like to reflect on this time and my experience. The weather here has been just amazing and it often took me by surprise, when I walked out of Building G of the National Campus where I...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 08-Sep-2011
Filed under: Filed under: finance, employment, America, USA, rain, Accounting, california, national semiconductor, U.S.A, travel, sightseeing, Thank you. Reflection, 2011, University of Stirling, Scotland, San Diego, last week, L.A., Palo Alto

The penultimate week

This has been my penultimate working week at National and a busy one. My manager has been out in the last few days to Texas Instruments in Dallas, TX to meet some of the managers there for the upcoming closing deal between National and TI. Everybody now is just waiting for it to close and it is hoped...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 02-Sep-2011
Filed under: Filed under: finance, USA, Accounting, california, national semiconductor, U.S.A, silicon valley, 2011, University of Stirling, San Diego, Week 9, Palo Alto, Stanford

Yes, Ethical Hacking is a real thing . . .

This week I have had a new project at work (hooray). I also finished up what I was doing with my main project so I’m done with that until I get some feedback (hooray again). I have really enjoyed this week, having to manage two fairly substantial project as well as the numerous meetings that come...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kieran Roberts on 18-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 5, california, national semiconductor, Kieran, santa cruz, preachers, hacking

"Get ready for the photo shoot"

Today's working day started off with a photo shoot in the morning in front of the National sign at Building C. Everybody working in Finance came together to have a photo taken in front of the sign that maybe soon will bear a different company's name on it after the deal with TI is closed. It...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 17-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: finance, America, Accounting, national semiconductor, U.S.A, travel, 2011, University of Stirling, San Francisco

Past the halfway point

It is hard to believe that I am already more than halfway through my internship. Well, I guess time flies when you are having fun. In my last blog, I mentioned that I will be involved in more projects and the last week has been steadily busy. This week started off with a lot of work too and I think that...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 09-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: finance, Accounting, national semiconductor, silicon valley, 2011, University of Stirling

I can't think of a title . . .

This week I came into work on Monday morning and a strange sensation came over me. I had had the same morning routine as every other working day: wake up re-evaluate morning and decide that I can EEEEAAAASILY get ready in half the time I thought last night reset alarm for 30 minutes later wake up 40...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kieran Roberts on 08-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 4, california, national semiconductor, Kieran

“Oh, the calculator you are using is made by Texas Instruments...”

Another amazing week of my internship has passed and I really feel integrated well within National. I continue to work with many different people and on interesting and diverse projects. Yesterday, for instance, I went to work early because I had a deadline to meet. I had been put in charge of preparing...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 03-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: Texas, finance, USA, Management Accounting, Accounting, california, national semiconductor, U.S.A, silicon valley, Thank you. Reflection, 2011, University of Stirling, Dallas

small world . . .

This week at work I had my first 'proper' meeting with my manager, for the most part I am given a task to get on with and then left to my own devices so it was nice to be able to get some kind of feedback about what I have been doing so far/ In the meeting I presented the work that I have done...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kieran Roberts on 01-Aug-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 3, california, national semiconductor, Kieran

What’s not to like?

I would like to start off this week's blog with a conversation I had with my manager Mark recently who is from Scotland. I told him that after our hike last week, we had lunch at the golf course and that I was talking to another Scottish guy, Cameron, who has also been living in California working...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 26-Jul-2011
Filed under: Filed under: finance, week 3, America, Accounting, california, national semiconductor, U.S.A, 2011, University of Stirling

A dynamic business environment with a favourable climate

Normal 0 21 false false false DE ZH-TW HE Another exciting week has come to an end and there is so much to talk about. I am getting more and more familiar with the software and systems at National and I am glad that I am getting a good insight into financial reporting and analysis software such as IBM...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 19-Jul-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 3, cultural differences, california, national semiconductor, Global Scot, silicon valley, 2011, University of Stirling, San Francisco

Whose turn is it to use the cup?

I finally made it to San Jose where I shall be living for the next few weeks while working at National Semiconductor. It was a little hairy before I left, my visa application was delayed because of an issue with NSC having an incorrect e-mail address for me as well as a few other delays throughout the...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kieran Roberts on 11-Jul-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 1, california, national semiconductor, Kieran

National - First Week

Tuesday was my first day at National Semiconductor Corporation in the Worldwide Market and Sales Group (WMS) as a Finance Analyst Intern. For those who do not know National that well, I would like to give a brief outline of the company. National produces analogue semiconductors for other major manufacturers...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 09-Jul-2011
Filed under: Filed under: week 1, finance, USA, california, national semiconductor, silicon valley, 2011, First Week, University of Stirling

Silicon Valley... where IT all began

On the plane to Dallas, I sat next to a Texan from Fort Worth who had just visited Scotland and who was an enthusiastic golfer. It was the first time he had visited Scotland and he had been to St Andrews to play golf at the Old Course. I was telling him that I would have to change at Dallas to go to...

Posted to Undergraduates by Kai Bestmann on 03-Jul-2011
Filed under: Filed under: America, national semiconductor, U.S.A, welcome, silicon valley, 2011, University of Stirling

and back again.

The end of quarter meant that the last week was crazier than I’d imagined, with presentations to senior management by my team to prepare, as well as wrapping up my work for them. (Summarising work you’ve done for someone else to present is really scary, because you can’t be there to...

Posted to Undergraduates by Adina Roth on 14-Sep-2010
Filed under: Filed under: week 8, california, national semiconductor

The girl with the red tennis shoes.

Those are the words that greeted me as the doors to the train opened this morning to reveal a conductor I barely recognized smiling down at me. ‘It’s the girl with the red tennis shoes’ ……. I did a quick check of my fellow passengers shoes, but as the only rouge-shodden...

Posted to Undergraduates by Adina Roth on 23-Aug-2010
Filed under: Filed under: week 6, california, national semiconductor, tennis shoes