TIers do amazing things every day at work and when they are out of the office. In our ongoing series, ‘Out of Office,’ we showcase the unique and fascinating hobbies, talents and interests of TIers all over the world.
In order to make scrambled eggs, the routine is the same for most of us:
- Go to the store, buy some eggs.
- Crack, scramble and cook the eggs.
- Eat.
For TIer Nemesio Cava, his routine is a little different:
- Go to the chicken coop behind his house and grab some fresh eggs.
- Crack, scramble and cook the eggs.
- Eat.
Nemesio lives in a Dallas suburb just a few miles north of our main campus. It’s not exactly the kind of place surrounded by farmland where chickens are the norm. Nonetheless, since late last year Nemesio, his wife and three children have raised six chickens in their backyard. The design verification engineer in silicon development design thought the endeavor would be fun and a good learning experience for his entire family. Read about Nemesio’s insights on growth and development at TI
“I was talking to a friend at TI who grew up on a farm about raising some farm animals. We started talking about different kinds of livestock, and he said, ‘You can find chicks in this area.’ So, I found a store right here in Dallas,” Nemesio said.
His children loved the idea of having baby chicks around the house, and his wife was really excited about the idea. Maybe even too excited.
“She wanted to get goats. But that is moving too quickly. We will see how the chickens go,” Nemesio said.
With full approval from his family, Nemesio built a chicken coop, bought some feed and six chicks. The family learned one thing very quickly, he said.
“We found out that chicks don’t smell that nice,” Nemesio said with a smile. “Keeping everything clean was the biggest challenge and learning experience.”
By the spring, the chicks became chickens and started hatching eggs. Nemesio said between all of his chickens, he gets about three eggs a day. He spends $14 a month on grain but doesn’t really have any other expenses. His children love it when friends visit and get to see the chickens, and even Nemesio’s colleagues seem excited about his new farming adventure.
“I think it’s great, and I’d like to do the same,” said William Wallace, who is also a design engineer. “I think a lot of people should do it. You control the process of producing your food, and then you know where it comes from. It’s guaranteed to be high quality and fresh.”
Nemesio just celebrated his 25th anniversary at TI. He said after all those years, he is still researching and learning something new about being a design verification engineer – where he finds bugs in our systems and ensures our products work correctly before they get to a customer. It was this desire to constantly learn that ultimately drew him to raising chickens. And if his wife has her way, Nemesio will soon be learning a lot about goats – their next adventure.
In the following Q&A, Nemesio answers questions about his growth and development at TI.
1. What is the most impactful piece of feedback you got at TI?
“Don’t be afraid to learn new things.” This had impact both at work in solving problems in a better way, as well as outside of work to learn a musical instrument, which has been tremendously rewarding. And of course, this approach helped me venture into the world of raising chickens, before which my only knowledge of chickens was in the supermarket!
2. Development takes many forms. Looking back, what opportunities have helped you grow and develop the most at TI?
My first project out of college in TI was in a newly formed group and involved working in the entire flow of digital design and verification, from design specification up to the finished product in the lab. Not only did I learn about each stage but also how each impacts the other, as well as the challenges the customer would have. With the increased size and complexity of today’s designs, this has been invaluable when focusing on just one part of the flow.
3. What was the most difficult stretch assignment you’ve received at TI, and how did it help you in your career?
I would have to say the same project I mentioned out of college, due to the sheer amount of information to learn, added with the adjustment from school to work life. In this process, I learned the importance of working as a team instead of trying to do everything myself as I was accustomed to in school. Instead, we learned from each other, which from the vast amount of talent in TI, can lead to limitless, impactful opportunities in our world.
4. What career advice would you give your 22-year-old self?
Remember to keep a proper balance of faith, family, friends and career, and always seek to improve in each of these. Keeping this balance does not happen by accident and requires effort and determination, and the sooner I realized this, the more I was able to enjoy each day at work and at home, helping to handle the challenges we are confronted with along the way.