[moved] Difficult to move toward my right job (ASIC, RTL/Physical Design)

Hi everyone, I need some advice because my career, that is at its beginning, is already stucked and I'm so frustratin.
I'm italian, and here the university have a lot of theory; we student have really nice and deep theoretical knwoledge, even in Engineering degree the amount of science is really high, and is research-oriented. Is plusa Msc than a Meng. Indeed, I'm graduated in Electronic Engineering and I did a lot of low-physical-level subject e.g. Solid state Physics, Semiconductor Devices, Semiconductor Processes, Microelectronics (at physical/gate level, not at RTL level!). Also, the study course was really multidisciplinar (a lot of other side subject as microwave, electromagnetic fields, automation). To complicate the things, I did my master thesis in a research center, so it was really nice(component development in clean room) but no real project to present, only a research that is far from these working fields.

Sorry for the long prefaction, I'm coming to the point. Here in Italy there aren't industries that develop, from scratch, microelectronic system. The few industries, as STMicroelectronics and Infineon, hire only senior due to the economic crysis that is still strong here. The whole electronic market is cannibalaized by these hatefull consultant agency, that place the employee without logic and without specific training. In terms of activity, for a graduated in electronic only two way is possible: switch to programming jobs or at least firmware. I choose this last, and infact since graduation in october 2014 I'm working as firmware engineer for embedded system, but howver isn't the work that I want to do.

I read many times that the first years of work are really important to set the future career path, and I know I have to rapidply switch to the things I want to do do.

By now I'm trying to do some application and interview for UK, but is difficult because my spoken english is not good. However, I'm still searching worlwide for a suitable position, and in the meanwhile I'm studying by my own both english and technical topics about RTL/Physical Design.

So, the question. Can you suggest me some methods to maximize the probability to get a new jobs in these areas? (ASIC RTL/Physical Design, or maybe photonics). How can I say to the recruiter that I'm strongly looking at these positions, even if I have no experience? And how I can say theme that is not a random application, but I really want to do that job?
At the other hand, I can try to improve, by my own, the skills in these fields. So, if you maybe can suggest me to do a little project, with maybe a software that I can use, to demonstrate something in the interviews.

Thank you very much.

Re: Difficult to move toward my right job (ASIC, RTL/Physical Design)

electroman2000 said:

I read many times that the first years of work are really important to set the future career path

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This is true in regard to establishing your work history as a reliable and competent employee. You want to receive good references, wherever you are.

Career paths change. It is very common for people to move to other fields of work, over the course of a lifetime.

The most desirable position is probably the one you want, and which others want. Does the position come with headaches? Early burnout? Etc.

Suppose a company has a department you want to work in, but no openings in that department. Would you take a less desirable job in another department at that company, hoping to be first to apply for an opening in the department you want to work in, as soon as the position opens up? That might be a viable strategy.

Re: Difficult to move toward my right job (ASIC, RTL/Physical Design)

BradtheRad said:

Suppose a company has a department you want to work in, but no openings in that department. Would you take a less desirable job in another department at that company, hoping to be first to apply for an opening in the department you want to work in, as soon as the position opens up? That might be a viable strategy.

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This is a very sound advice; please consider this seriously. I myself have just some interests in electronics, no degree, no experience and no proper background. I just know how to solder a component. I am in this forum simply because of my personal interests. As I understand, you have a good theoretical background, which is the foundation of modern electronics. A broad base and sincere interest will take you far in the business. Prepare well for the interviews and take your time to explain. Focus on industries where you see a potential for future growth. If you contribute to the growth of the company you will certainly see some success. You also need to ignore, to some extent, local politics and internal bickerings- they are omnipresent but certainly not omnipotent.

You need an initial start. Prepare well for the interviews- try to focus on what they need and what you can offer.

Re: Difficult to move toward my right job (ASIC, RTL/Physical Design)

Hi Bradth, hi mitra, thank you for the reply. I prepared this reply when this thread was in EDA Job section, but I wasn't able to reply there.
You are for sure right, but I have to explain better that the working situation in Italy, for the gratuadet but also for senior, is quiete different. The work is less flexible, and for example the relocation inside the same company seems to be impossible due to an old and not innovative managment. The rest of things seems to be random: I applied many time for the (few) positions that involve FPGA and VHDL, to gain experience in these field, with the idea to go below on the design flow during my career path. But here in Italy you needs lucky because the consultant compan hire people regardless the technical knwoledge, only when they need workforce, they are people regardless the passion, prospective ecc, because they know that they have to train them. I think this is deeply wrong.
Also, in Italy the position that I want is not really wanted, only because when you are an expert in this field, you have to move abroad (that instead is what I want).
For the part of reference, this is a serious problem. Because I feel very bad with my actual company, and I don’t do nothing to hide it. They hire me without any technical question, they hire me for an hardware position and when the customer company retired the interest (I dunno why), they simply let me doing nothing (literally), and then they send me to the customer company to do the firmware job, that I don’t like and I didn’t applied for. This make me really disappointed. I think if someone ask them if I’m a good worker, they would ask NO, that I’m lazy and stupid…in reality, I don’t care nothing about this work I didn’t applied for, and the 2 months of forced inactivity make me stressed more than a burnout.
You maybe think that this story is impossible, 2 months doing nothing, but trust me, I’m not the only that had to deal with it.

About the background and the passion, fortunately I have both. I really liked what I learnt, and I really want to find a job in this field. I think, from this point of view, I'm really lucky: I like the field in wich the microelectronics and semiconductor market is supposed to move in the next few years (photonics or other basic sctructure that can deal with the physical limit of the CMOS technology, that are becoming more and more relevant). The (supposed) future of technology is also my passion, and I couldn't ask better. I have also a theoretical background that permite myself to deal with these arguments, but of course I have to be introduced in the industry, that is so differente than the university.
And the fact that here in my country no industries do these job, make me frustrating.

By now, I'm doing a job with a microcontroller, really bored, really simply and don't challeing. After 2 months of inactivity (dunno why), I spent only 2 day to almost fully understand the code (wrote by someone else) and I'm ready to do change and debugging but srlsy, what a boring task, I'm not study quantum mechanics to do this. Of course I'm not pretend to skip all the "junior" task, only to do junior task in the area of my interests and of course even junior task can be challenging.
After all, this job can't help me to move towards my favourite job and it is a serious problem.
I have done an interview for a semiconductor company that produces IP in UK, they liked my passion but unfortunately I haven't relevant experience in VHDL for them.
However I will keep trying but is really a frustrating situation because I want to study and to learn more (even in the industry that is really different from univeristy) about these topics but I'm blocked by this full-time job that actually I don't care nothing about

It sounds as though you're being exposed to the corporate system, while at the same time you want to get into a part of the corporate system that does not act like a part of the corporate system.

Don't be surprised at feeling the way you do. It's human nature to expect that some distant place has all we could want. Therefore we become unhappy with the place we're in.

We see how glamourous it looks where we want to be, but people who are there, usually have stories about the unglamorous aspects. (That is why I asked about headaches and early burnout.)

No doubt you are very good at your preferred area of electronics/ programming. You do not really sound like the type who prefers to be handed tasks, even if it were in your preferred field. Are you sure you would rather not have opportunities to show initiative? There must be lots of places that need a resident electronics guy. Example, musical groups, colleges, libraries, etc. I don't know anything for sure, just talking.

I like the field in wich the microelectronics and semiconductor market is supposed to move in the next few years (photonics or other basic sctructure that can deal with the physical limit of the CMOS technology, that are becoming more and more relevant). The (supposed) future of technology is also my passion, and I couldn't ask better.

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Yes, developing innovation could be an excellent direction for your abilities. Of course there is optical computing in the works. Have you heard of 'spintronics', a technology describing the way hard disks store data? Other fancy terms are electron spin, and geomagnetic resonance. Some suggest this is the next step to a new type of electronic circuit, including quantum computers.

BradtheRat has put everything very succinctly. We all think that we could have done much more if only we had a bit more freedom. But we all have ended up as a small cog in the big wheel called the system. We need to make some compromises and do both and be both (all at the same time).

The same system can have different internal and external view and they are still consistent. The 'divine' unhappiness, that is bubbling in the posts, is really a force that is driving you forward.

I can understand and I can feel but I cannot explain. This is part of self-realization- discovery of your own inner self.

Yes, guys, you hitted the point perfectly. Even I dind't write it in the OP, I know that the underlying problem is the self-realizion, the problem with this system that kills creativity and initiative, that makes the persons a 9-6 slaves killing their enthusiasm and thus their productivity.
And of course my research of the job that I like is related to this, and all aspects about future and economic prospective is a side effect.