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Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

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Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#91

As someone working full-time in Canada, wish I could roll back my life 10+ years and get into one of the semiconductor schools. Good luck to all who are admitted into this program, looks very interesting. Link to online degree: https://engineering.purdue.edu/semiconductors/degrees#online...

Warning: nerd trap. Low wages, horrendous deadlines (tapeout), hard work. Perhaps this has changed, given that we're in a semiconductor boom cycle now, but I have my doubts. When SMIC started trying to poach TSMC talent, the response was not to make pay competitive (or even half decent), let alone in line with the massive geopolitically-relevant value being created. No, the response was a mask-off legislative crackdo…

A lot of human progress in core sciences and engineering is on the backs of people toiling the midnight hours on sheer passion for little monetary reward. We owe a great debt of gratitude towards them.

In any commercial organization, there are tremendous pressures in high-investment, super high-risk projects and anyone can trivially find things that are wrong with the current system. The much more difficult challenge is showing an alternate path that is superior - based on the results it achieves. The times when you see the ugly behavior of people are times of desperation. Online commenters expend a lot of effort point out how to improve things by "proving" it by linking to random studies - but the more persuasive argument is by implementing those changes in the real world. "Talk is cheap, show me the code." ;)

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#93
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just curious, for a software engineer that only works with managed languages such as Java and Python, what kind of embedded job is easy to squeeze into? Thanks~~

If you have experience with software, learning embedded concepts isn't a huge leap. At least in my area, aerospace, defense, and automotive tend to be the biggest, easiest employers to get started with. They will hire basically anyone with a solid grasp of C, OSes, and basic computer architecture (at an undergrad level.) I find embedded really rewarding. A 20 year old embedded-C code base generally follows the same d…

Know of any companies/industries that have started switching to Rust for embedded?

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#94

As someone working full-time in Canada, wish I could roll back my life 10+ years and get into one of the semiconductor schools. Good luck to all who are admitted into this program, looks very interesting. Link to online degree: https://engineering.purdue.edu/semiconductors/degrees#online...

If process engineers are so rare, why don’t they pay them like they are rare? My wife got the hell out and into data science. Much more respect and pay.

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Warning: nerd trap. Low wages, horrendous deadlines (tapeout), hard work. Perhaps this has changed, given that we're in a semiconductor boom cycle now, but I have my doubts. When SMIC started trying to poach TSMC talent, the response was not to make pay competitive (or even half decent), let alone in line with the massive geopolitically-relevant value being created. No, the response was a mask-off legislative crackdo…

A lot of human progress in core sciences and engineering is on the backs of people toiling the midnight hours on sheer passion for little monetary reward. We owe a great debt of gratitude towards them. In any commercial organization, there are tremendous pressures in high-investment, super high-risk projects and anyone can trivially find things that are wrong with the current system. The much more difficult challenge…

Sure thing! I've got your alternate path that is superior right here: see, first I give the semiconductor industry a big fat middle finger, and then I go work for somebody who fucking pays me.

This code is working great!

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of human progress in core sciences and engineering is on the backs of people toiling the midnight hours on sheer passion for little monetary reward. We owe a great debt of gratitude towards them. In any commercial organization, there are tremendous pressures in high-investment, super high-risk projects and anyone can trivially find things that are wrong with the current system. The much more difficult challenge…

Sure thing! I've got your alternate path that is superior right here: see, first I give the semiconductor industry a big fat middle finger, and then I go work for somebody who fucking pays me. This code is working great!

Heh, I got a chuckle out of that :) Thanks for sharing.

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats how I do feel - that better cash and more jobs = web dev, but I feel like in semico there is way more interesting and impressive stuff. Ppl who I worked with went into more web like jobs after semico But later I'd want to work as compiler engineer

Semiconductor theory is more interesting, but don't even consider it unless you love math and can do standard integrals without having to look up tables. Also, the mistake I made when I went to grad school: Semiconductors seemed to be a "new" field compared to the rest of EE. One of my undergrad professors said "They still haven't figured out what a standard textbook should contain." In reality, from a research stand…

>Why are you wasting time with semiconductors...?

Because this company does both, so after I get bored with current role and prepare better, then i'll try to switch teams

I didnt and still do not see easier way for me to get into comps (i may be naive), especially that i dont know cpp yet, which seems like must have in compilers world unless you go to e.g msft

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#98
post #93
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you have experience with software, learning embedded concepts isn't a huge leap. At least in my area, aerospace, defense, and automotive tend to be the biggest, easiest employers to get started with. They will hire basically anyone with a solid grasp of C, OSes, and basic computer architecture (at an undergrad level.) I find embedded really rewarding. A 20 year old embedded-C code base generally follows the same d…

Know of any companies/industries that have started switching to Rust for embedded?

Honestly no. Pretty much the only folks I've heard talking about Rust are in the application dev space. Generally the space I'm familiar with is lately being called "deeply embedded" to differentiate it from IoT platforms (which sometimes run full-blown Android)

Typically the real time space is very conservative on what types of changes are implemented, and that's largely because a lot of rt software exists on safety critical systems that need to be supported for decades.

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#99

As someone working full-time in Canada, wish I could roll back my life 10+ years and get into one of the semiconductor schools. Good luck to all who are admitted into this program, looks very interesting. Link to online degree: https://engineering.purdue.edu/semiconductors/degrees#online...

Warning: nerd trap. Low wages, horrendous deadlines (tapeout), hard work. Perhaps this has changed, given that we're in a semiconductor boom cycle now, but I have my doubts. When SMIC started trying to poach TSMC talent, the response was not to make pay competitive (or even half decent), let alone in line with the massive geopolitically-relevant value being created. No, the response was a mask-off legislative crackdo…

Relevant economical pattern: https://www.gwern.net/Complement

Re: Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.

#100

As someone working full-time in Canada, wish I could roll back my life 10+ years and get into one of the semiconductor schools. Good luck to all who are admitted into this program, looks very interesting. Link to online degree: https://engineering.purdue.edu/semiconductors/degrees#online...

I studied semiconductor engineering in Canada about 10 years ago (graduated in 2011). Career propsects were poor, a few jobs available in California. A career in software would have been far better in terms of pay and opportunities.
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