Transition from embedded firmware to SW
Hi all, Has anyone successfully transitioned from firmware to software without starting at entry level ? All the interesting work I want to do seems to be higher up the stack. What type of positions will have transferable knowledge so I’m not starting from scratch? What’s the best approach to this? I was thinking finding a software position at my current company would be the best route but i want to get out ASAP as they are very low paying. TC: 95k, 3 yoe
No need to lose seniority. Find a company that values good engineers and what you WILL be able to do once you ramp up. Every new employee has to ramp up anyways. I just made the pivot from firmware to cloud. Unfortunately, as fun as embedded development and true R&D was, the TC generally lagged too far to justify.
Was it a tough transition for you and did you pick up any skills before the transition ? How were you able to convince them that you’d get up to pace?
I always had side projects to learn new languages and architectures. The engineering problem solving mindset carries over no problem. Managing features, cross team collaboration, examples of scalable architectures you created, good communication, drive and ownership, etc. They convinced me I would get up to pace no problem. I suppose I landed a position where the interviews made a similar switch. PM me if you want more details.
LC and flog that full stack website you wrote an hour before the interview 🤑 As an unhelpful observation, SWEs with EECS degrees who write infrastructure in C/C++ at FAANG are usually on the most elite teams. I wonder why they pay you firmware folks peanuts.