developers.pen.engineering

PenEngineering
Developer Program

Learn embedded systems from engineers who ship real products — then build firmware on our own hardware and potentially join the team.

FreeSelf-PacedOnline + Chisinau OfficeHiring Pipeline
ABOUT_PROGRAM

What is this program?

01

PenEngineering builds IoT systems, custom hardware, and embedded SDKs used in real products. We created this program because we need engineers who think the way we do — low-level, hardware-first, no-BS.

02

It's free because the goal is to find the best people, not to sell education. You learn at your own pace, ship real firmware, and if you're good — you come work on our internal projects.

03

No fluff. You'll be writing C, debugging on real boards, and shipping code that runs on actual silicon.

OUTCOMES_NOT_TOPICS

What you'll build

HARDWARE_STACK

You write on our hardware — PikaDevBoard (STM32), AkiraConsole (ESP32-S3 + LoRa), and AkiraOS (our custom Zephyr-based RTOS). Not simulators. Not breadboards. Real silicon.

Firmware on PikaDevBoard

Flash your first firmware on our open-source STM32-based dev board. GPIO, UART, SPI, I²C — real peripherals, real hardware.

Apps running on AkiraOS

Write and deploy WebAssembly modules on our custom RTOS. Your code runs on the same stack powering AkiraConsole.

A complete Zephyr driver

Build a Kconfig-compliant device driver from scratch with devicetree, west manifests, and shell integration.

Connected IoT prototype

A BLE or LoRa-connected prototype built on our toolchain — the same stack we use in commercial projects.

A production-ready workspace

GCC + CMake + GDB + VSCode, version-controlled and configured the way real embedded teams work.

Working multi-threaded RTOS app

FreeRTOS or Zephyr tasks, queues, semaphores. Concurrent firmware that runs and doesn't crash. Proven on real hardware.

CURRICULUM

Curriculum

Four phases. Work at your own pace.

00

Prerequisites

Self-studyOn your own

Git, Linux CLI, GCC toolchain, VSCode setup. We give you a checklist — you complete it before Phase 1 starts.

Git: clone, commit, rebase, push, merge
Linux terminal: navigation, scripts, permissions
GCC + CMake: compile and run a Hello World from CLI
VSCode + extensions: clangd, Cortex-Debug, CMake Tools
01

Embedded C Programming

Online live sessions~18 hours
02

Bare-Metal on Hardware

Hybrid — live sessions + PikaDevBoard~28 hours
03

RTOS & Real Projects

Offline — Chisinau officeOpen-ended

Phases 1 and 2 end with a technical test. Phase 3 is invitation-only for those who pass both.

PREREQUISITES

Prerequisites

You don't need prior embedded experience. You do need:

Basic C/C++: variables, loops, functions, pointers
Know what a compiler is and how to run one
Hunger to work with hardware, not just read about it
A computer that can run Linux (WSL on Windows is fine)
phase-0-checklist.sh
// Phase 0 checklist — all green before Phase 1
git --version
gcc --version
cmake --version
west --version
arm-none-eabi-gcc --version
code --version
# When all green → you're ready for Phase 1
$
AFTER_PROGRAM

After the program

01

Real project access

Top participants get invited to work on internal PenEngineering projects — IoT products, embedded SDKs, AkiraOS firmware.

02

Potential hire

We hire from this program. No CV needed if you've shipped code with us.

03

Actual portfolio

GitHub commits, real firmware, AkiraOS modules. Not just course certificates.

HOW_TO_APPLY

How to apply

1.Fill in the application form (Google Form)
2.We review and send you the Phase 0 checklist
3.Start when you're ready — no fixed dates
4.Join our Telegram community channel

Free. Self-paced. Real hardware. No deadlines.