STORIES2021/03/26
Semiconductor memory is difficult and yet interesting.
UT Toshiba
Miki Kato
PROFILE
Miki worked for a printed circuit board manufacturer for 10 years and left the company when she got married. When she decided to work again, she chose dispatch work and joined UT Toshiba (then Toshiba Office Mate). She has been with three companies and has been in her current job since 2015. Many know her as a fan of the pitcher Sofue of the Chunichi Dragons.
Introduction
Miki wanted to be involved with PCs at work. So after she graduated from high school she went to work for a manufacturer of printed circuit boards. She is now responsible for designing advanced semiconductor memories. What has Miki gained while experiencing various jobs at UT Toshiba?
I want to complete what I have been entrusted with.
After more than a decade of working in product assessment and manufacturing at Toshiba Group companies, I was assigned to designing flash memory layouts in 2015. I thought the layout design seemed interesting and wanted to try it out a little bit, but it was a different world than I could have imagined. I had designed printed circuit boards, but this was totally different. At first I was surprised that I knew so little. During the first year, I was thoroughly instructed by my mentor and I had to study physics once again every day. I was also perplexed that the tools and instructions I used were in English. I still have to study every day, but I feel accomplished when I achieve a task that made me use my brain. I have more joyous moments than in the past. Nowadays semiconductor memory is indispensable for every device. Layout design is part of the work in the background, but I am impressed and proud that my work becomes the foundation for manufacturing new products. I don’t want to lose a difficult order, and I definitely want to complete what I have been entrusted with. My target now is to be able to finish the work on my own from start to finish.
Every workplace has its own culture of taking care of the people who work.
What I have earned at UT Toshiba is that personal relations are precious. Whenever one changes to a new workplace, whether it was the culture of the Toshiba Group or something else, everyone was very kind and thoroughly taught me how to do the work. In each of the workplaces I met people whom I could not meet without doing this job. I feel lucky that I worked in various places and met a lot of people. I have always tried to be humble because I think communication is important to do work. Another good thing about the company is that it is easy to take paid leave , to enjoy the time with the family, or do what I like to do for fun. For example, I love to go to Nagoya and support my favorite Chunichi Dragon baseball team with my husband and daughter. I also love history and sometimes visit castles and shrines, collecting their red ink stamps in my souvenir book. Recently, I was impressed by the Itsukushima Shrine in Hiroshima. I would like to continue working until retirement. I love working, so I want to go on, although I don’t know until how old I can work.
