Want to transition to Hardware from Manufacturing
Currently working as a Manufacturing Engineer in Tesla, joined after split, so TC is 🥜. In general, manufacturing TC isn't the hottest thing on market and for some time I've considered transition to another field. I am thinking of transitioning to hardware/ silicon design by completing an online MS from ASU/UIUC. I feel hardware has a higher barrier to entry, lower competition than software, so I'm secure long term in terms of a career. Has anyone made such transition? Please provide kind advice or roast my inability to see something obvious. Thanks! TC : 120k Location: Fremont, CA
Haha no tuition reimbursement - will probably pursue parallel to my job. It's still a good job, do not intend on quitting 😅
Would you have the time for that? Maybe its just a stereotype but I thought Tesla manufacturing would easily be a 60 hour work week
50 hours for sure. It's not a stereotype haha I happen to be in a relatively less crazy team.
I say go for it. I’m an ME, was a hw design engineer but then moved into operations… wish I could go back
I would recommend doing masters in CS or data science/business analytics. HWE has very limited jobs and growth. If you are spending 2 years studying, do it in the right field
Thanks for the input - I'm not the best coder I think - that's why was considering hardware in the first place. But jobs are plentiful in software - I do agree. The thought of leetcoding day and night gives me jitters.
Listen to NVDIA. You don’t have to be the best coder. Even a mediocre coder has more career aspect than the best hardware engineer (unless you get to be the top 1% of hardware engineer)
ASIC HW learning curve is steep. Be careful
Which HW sub discipline would you recommend to a complete noob. If you could do a do-over, which would you do? Thanks.
Well, to start with you can look at design for manufacturability, thermal, power modeling & aging aspects of ASIC design and gradually make your way into physical design and timing. Or you could just do a masters and get into RTL design and architecture, but the front end stuff does require decent amount of coding at design & system level.
Are you ME? I am moving to a company to do manufacturing, but I am using it as experience to transition to design as well. My thought is that manufacturing teaches you how everything works so that you can be a better design engineer. At the end of the day I do think design engineers have more marketable talents than manufacturing so I think your thoughts are in the right place. I would just be careful in the chip industry as I can see some layoffs happening as supply chains repair themselves, but I have no crystal ball
I AM an ME. I do love Manufacturing and you're correct about Manufacturing background is helpful for a design engineer. I do understand that Hardware is going through a supply chain disruption. I'm thinking about longer term - decades. Besides, if I start my MS now, I'll be in the market 2 years down the line.
Does Elon provide tuition reimbursement yet? Or are you thinking of leaving and pursuing the Masters full time?