Freelance with CMOS Analog and Mixed Signal IC specialization ?????

[haykding]

Is it possible to find a freelance job with CMOS Analog and Mixed Signal integrated circuit specialization ?
I've tried to fins that kind of jobs in different freelance web sites but useless.

Why there aren't any jobs in that field ? I've founded only jobs like designing PCB layout and schematic design with discrete components. Also there are a few jobs with Verilog/RTL skills.

Does anybody ever worked as a analog circuit designer in "freelance" projects?

Thanks
Hayk

 

[dick_freebird]

Possible. But neither likely nor profitable.

The thing is, an IC development represents a huge
investment of direct labor and materials costs, even
in the simplest case. Somebody is going to hang all
that, on somebody unknown? In my experience, to
even get a job won at a small company you have to
either really "Wow!" them, or you have to take the
jobs that no responsible organization wants. And I
have had to execute these, jobs that everybody in
the industry no-bid (including us, twice). They end
up being jobs you didn't want either, other than that
having the company go under would have been worse.
Better take it on the right terms (time & materials,
not firm fixed price) when you are looking at that kind
of risk (and how good are you at identifying, costing
and of course overcoming each and every of such risks?).

There are freelance sites and they do carry the
occasional IC design job. eLance sends me emails, or
did for a while. I haven't bothered to renew or respond
because what I saw there was laughable - people
wanting custom ICs done for $500 to a couple thou,
quantity 10 (ever), funding contingent on some
Kickstarter fantasy. Yeah, you stick with that story,
bud... let me know when you come up with the
scratch for four hours of my time and then that ought
to be enough for me to tell you what it really takes.

More likely, direct contracting to a small design shop
or a presently-desperate semi company is your foot
in the door. You have to prove yourself somewhere.
Unfortunately for you, Armenia is probably not that
"somewhere", being relatively free of high-tech
industry and opportunity.

Consider looking for a temp engineering agency,
this is one step removed from freelancing (but it
is the step that pertains to finding and bagging
business, a skill not to be underestimated (as
you are beginning to see). Now temp agencies
are prone to rejecting "freshers" too, because
they are only slightly less able to sell one of those,
than you are to sell yourself - what's the value
proposition, for somebody pushes a puck for six
months and then it all blows up? Right. So more
likely, you get lucky when/if they manage to sell
a Batman and Robin story to somebody with more
money and desperation than sense, Batman's on
board but Robin didn't show up, and you can
squeeze into those tights before somebody with
a better agent and a better head shot gets the
call.

Helped? Probably doesn't feel that way. But as
honest an attempt as you're likely to find.

 

[haykding]

Thanks for the reply. So the conclusion is that it's not wise to think about freelancing with VLSI design.

 

[erikl]

Re: Freelance with CMOS Analog and Mixed Signal IC specialization ?

Depends.

If you can prove a lot of experience in analog IC design, both with design and verification tools and several processes, and - perhaps - are able to show which successful blocks you already had performed or at least cooperated with, this could be a chance to get a freelance job for a limited time. Best chance is if they've known you before, and know that they won't have to teach you a lot.

Usually IC design companies are seeking such jobs just at times when they desperately are in terrible time stress for getting an IC design done, and/or a few people from normal staff are missing because of illness or quitting.
In such case, expect that you've gotta work under a lot of stress.

 

[haykding]

Re: Freelance with CMOS Analog and Mixed Signal IC specialization ?

Hi erikl,


What about this post ?

 

[dick_freebird]

As I think about this, it seems that "VLSI design" may be more
friendly to a freelancer than sub-fields where you are entirely
responsible for the chip design, validation, and development
through production.

My thinking is that, because "VLSI" is almost always a team
effort, a specialist with a particular skill set can "plug in" to
an open slot / need on that team, and nobody's trying to
figure out whether to trust they can "do it all". Contrast that
with you showing up alone and claiming you can get a part to
production, on your own.

Like you could be "the testability guy" or "the timing closure
guy" or "the ESD guy" as part of a big-chip team. But if you
are aiming to do the whole chip design yourself, you need
to have it all handled. And ditto test development, packaging,
qualification, yadda yadda.

Now maybe a related sort of opportunity-path is in bringing
analog expertise to a mostly-digital group who's got some
"little A" analog content, and lacks coverage. Mixed signal,
that sure is. Yes, you'll only have a bit part. But still it pays,
and a couple of repeat paying clients makes a business.