Touching Base with Ali Berk Eroğlu
‘I love the innovative mindset of this company’
Hi Berk! Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Istanbul with my older sister. But if you had asked me that question in Turkey, I would say I was from Konya, a city to the south of Ankara. That’s where my father is from. Similarly my Mum would say she’s originally from Bosnia, because that’s where her grandparents are from, even though she was born and raised in Istanbul.
What did you want to do when you were growing up?
I was the tech guy of the family when I was growing up. My dad always was calling me to fix the computer or television. I suppose it was obvious I would become an engineer one day. I studied at an American High School in Istanbul, which encouraged us to take different electives. There was an electronics course, modern physics, marine biology, organic chemistry, and advanced French. I chose electronics and really enjoyed it – I still remember the first time I made a traffic light circuit and realised I could make it do whatever I wanted. I was eager to learn more and decided that’s what I would major in at university.
Where did you go to university?
I studied for a BSc in electrical and electronics engineering at the University of Illinois. My sister had studied at the University of Michigan, graduating a couple of years before I left home to go to university, and that had a great influence on me. I went to her graduation, saw the campus environment, and met some people. I learned about what it was like to move from Turkey and study in the US, and I wanted to do that too. I picked Illinois because it was highly ranked in electrical engineering and I really enjoyed the course. Illinois also had opportunities for me to blend electrical engineering with music, which is a passion of mine. My favourite professor had made an electronic musical instrument and I spent a lot of time with that project in my second year.
How did your career progress after university?
In the summer of my third year at university, I contacted a musical instrument company in the Czech Republic. It was only a small office but they were trying to find new ways to create high quality musical modules. They’re circuits for sound effects that you can connect with instruments such as electric guitars or keyboards. Most musical modules are used for synthesisers. During my three-month internship, I was working on a new prototype. Although we didn’t quite finish, it was a great experience for me to see the development lifecycle of a new product and I learned a lot about circuit design software.
My last year at university was also when I started looking for jobs in Europe. I didn't want to stay in the US, because it was too far from my family and friends, but I didn’t want to go back to Turkey because its economy wasn’t in the best shape. Then the pandemic hit – I had two months of remote education and had to head back to Turkey anyway. I found a job and spent three years working in the aerospace sector, designing autopilots and control stations.
How did you hear about TG0?
I enjoyed working in aerospace and still talk to the friends I made there but I still wanted to head to Europe. At the beginning of 2023, I found out I could get a residency permit from the UK because I graduated from the university of Illinois. I applied and got it within one month. Then I started looking for jobs. The UK has quite a small engineering market, and I came across TG0. I moved to the UK a year ago to start working with the company.
You’re now one of six TG0 electrical engineers. What do you like best about working at TG0?
The first thing that attracted me was the innovative mindset of the company, and the variety of projects they were working on. And that’s still what I love about it. We work across so many different fields. The first project I worked on was in the medical sector, and the next was a music project, which was amazing for me. I also love having such diverse colleagues. We all learn so much from each other. It’s much more diverse here than in the US.
What do you like to do outside of work?
In high school, I sang in the Boğaziçi Jazz Choir as a tenor. It’s a choir for amateurs – none of us were professional singers – but it’s one of the most advanced choirs in the world. I remember we practised every day before the European Youth Choirs Festival in Basel, I barely saw my family and friends for two months. In total, we performed at more than 50 concerts across Asia and Europe in the three years I was there. It helped me realise the art of teamwork and discipline. Now, I just sing as a hobby. I also play the guitar and piano at an intermediate level. I haven’t had time to buy a piano since I moved to the UK.
Tell us one thing your colleagues wouldn’t know about you
I tend to overshare so I think my colleagues know everything! I am a huge fan of Galatasaray, which is a famous Turkish football team. Last year when I arrived, they had a match with Manchester United at Old Trafford, which I was able to go to. The final score was 3-2 to Galatasaray, which made my stadium experience even more amazing! I also have a hidden ambition to invent a new musical instrument one day.
