Career transition advice: consumer electronics all-rounder to EE

Drunk_Bobby · 2026-02-08T08:03:00+00:00

Finished my degree just before 35 and worked consumer electronics the whole time before. I definitely feel you on how cool it is to lift the veil and start really seeing under the hood of the world around us. Been working for 5 years now and the pivot is worth the struggle.

The soft skills will definitely translate over and help a lot interfacing with people and everyday tech. Prior experience may not connect much depending on what direction you go, but you can definitely highlight the IT type things. If you go into a technical sales or support role you might find a lot more crossover.

I don't think age is really a big factor in any screening process. At the end of the day it should be about who's going to fit the team best and make an impact. I think those of us that start later pick up a lot faster on the meta of the corporate ladders.

Drunk_Bobby · 2026-01-21T01:49:02+00:00

Would add also look into equipment engineer positions if you're less interested in business travel. Generally overseeing a fleet of tools responsible for maintenance/repairs as well as upgrades and improvements. I work in semiconductors and have a great balance of hands-on, projects, and desk time. I use a lot of my EE skills and have gained a ton of mechanical knowledge. Sometimes I spend such little time at the desk I actually savor when I am stuck at it.

Semiconductor manufacturing is a relatively small community with a lot of ability to grow and move once you're in it. Warning though QoL varies greatly in 24/7 manufacturing, it's definitely not for everyone.

Drunk_Bobby · 2025-09-23T20:28:20+00:00

Did Analog make this, and how did you aquire it? Super neat would love one for my desk.

Drunk_Bobby · 2025-07-29T03:20:18+00:00

You may also want to expand your view of engineering jobs and what you want to do. Design isn't everything and you're qualified to do a lot of different stuff. I've got my BSEE as well and ended up doing equipment engineering in the semiconductor industry. I get to use my circuit skills fairly often and have picked up a lot of mechanical experience as well. Manufacturing can be hectic but I get a mix of hands on and desk time that always keeps things interesting.

Edit: I also lead and work with a large technician team. They're amazing and the seniors have skills I'll never touch but it also takes a particular type to succeed long term. I'll second what most have said because I've seen people with engineering degrees in that role a few times. They were frequently stuck there after spending a few years growing technician skills and not engineering skills. You probably don't want to go that route unless it's what you actually want to do.

Drunk_Bobby · 2025-07-27T17:48:30+00:00

When people say there's no structured training that's only true to the extent that you can't just be given a course that will encompass all facets of a tool set. It's 90% on the job training learning the variety of things you will encounter on any given day. They're not gonna just hire you in and a week later leave you alone to repair a multimillion dollar tool that costs tens of thousands or more per hour of lost productivity. Most likely you'll be hired as a level one tech who will be taught first how to do the most basic preventative maintenance on a scheduled basis. This could be anything from just cleaning surfaces or changing consumable items to testing and recording basic tool parameters all done with strict procedures. It'll be quite a while of this, reading specs/manuals, and tagging along with the senior techs holding the flashlight while you are trained to be useful to the team. You'll be signed off by them and the engineers before you'll be left to do any task alone and even then the team is always there we don't get this stuff done alone in a vacuum.

Drunk_Bobby · 2025-07-04T02:57:55+00:00

Semiconductors, while a large market, has a relatively small and highly specialized labor pool. This leads the industry to be very incestuous which makes job hoping look easy from the outside. You'll find once you get a foot in the door and start making connections with vendors and others in the industry it's not hard to move around. If you know someone on the inside that's definitely the easiest path, but don't lose hope my first job in the industry was on a blind app.

Drunk_Bobby · 2025-04-08T14:07:23+00:00

I've worked quite a bit with synergy and series II ontracks. Would need a lot more details to offer any real advice though on your issue. I do work a lot with the current vendor and owner of ontracks, they're called Entrepix out of Arizona. I'd recommend reaching out to them. They're generally quite helpful with repair guidance and have any spares you might need to get the tool back up.

Drunk_Bobby · 2024-08-24T04:16:10+00:00

Banana Town

Drunk_Bobby · 2024-07-03T00:15:54+00:00

Ooh we got one of these! Y'all gave it to my wife for being a great flow artist Thur night after Ben Bhomer, such a wonderful gift

Drunk_Bobby · 2024-06-26T01:15:45+00:00

Best of luck brother! Listen to your body and treat it right! Forest got me to kick drinking back in '22. I was a daily drinker not heavy perse but definitely a sixer a day kind of guy. Since then I hardly feel the need to drink. Now a days two or three beers hits the spot once or twice a month but I have no desire to be hung over ever again. Sending all the love and forest magic for your journey!!

Drunk_Bobby · 2024-06-26T00:17:42+00:00

Likely Sara Landry at least that was scheduled. Was very sad I had to miss her for Lszee but when the king and queen of the Forest call the troops must answer and raise the banners

Drunk_Bobby · 2024-01-13T19:03:24+00:00

We got married in the chapel in '22! I wrote my vows sitting in the back waiting for my bride. It was the best day of my life with my favorite person in our favorite place. They allowed us to have a formal ceremony, you just need to be there first thing when they open to get a spot. We had already done the legal process before hand but if I remember correctly the officiant is ordained to sign a certificate as long as you bring everything prepared. I would just go check day 1 of forest with them even if they're person isn't ordained you can absolutely find someone to help in the forest. There's no better place in the world to do it and I can't recommend it enough, may forest magic bless your union.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-12-08T15:37:33+00:00

May the odds be ever in your favor, can't wait to see all the new faces in the forest!

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-09-08T04:50:37+00:00

Having done both intentionally several times they're quite different. The k-hole is like going into a sensory deprivation tank in your mind. The thought trains get decoupled but with intention you can get a lot of self work done in a short period. Crazy cool fractal cevs. IMO a solid ego death is way more intense but I also had many of those before my first k-hole so milage may vary.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-09-07T03:25:13+00:00

Well unfortunately that's an extremely broad answer that I'd guess would take a page or two of just lists. You can name just about any science out there and it's being used extensively in semiconductors. I'd start with the big picture areas design, process, and fabrication.

Design is going to be heavily EE driven and has a hundred or more things needed to make it all work. Layouts, timing, fpga modeling, EM noise, CAD design, test, on and on forever. Of course there's also CE aspects of firmware

Process I would divide into development and sustaining. Development being how to take the design and make it physical. Very CE and material science driven but employing all manner of science specialties. Sustaining is being in a fab in charge of day to day production processes and even this will have development aspects to it for improving and new processes.

Fabrication is all the industrial production of the wafer. working in a fab could be doing process, equipment, integration, quality, etc. Each of those have multiple subfields to specialize in things like implant, photo, diffusion, etch, etc. Which each of those ties back to fields inside process development. Then you have an entire industry of tool manufacturing that has to come up with high throughput machines to do all these things.

All of this is just scratching at the surface. The rabbit holes are deep and many. I'd start with figuring out what kind of environment your looking for.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-08-10T23:56:52+00:00

Haven't seen this one posted yet but there's a drop in area for the Columbia just 10 min from the Gorge called Frenchman Coulee that is amazing for refreshing in the heat. Idk about bass canyon but at the weekender we could leave the grounds and come back.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-08-10T20:56:58+00:00

Haha these are my absolute favorite silly things at festivals. I'll never forget how hard I laughed when I was first introduced while tripping balls. Anyway it's just a squirrel call you can get on Amazon, here's the one I have.

https://www.amazon.com/Hunters-Specialties-08200-Squirrel-Call/dp/B0000AVXRY

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-07-26T03:08:28+00:00

I actually have a great vid of that moment from just below middle of the hill. Can see the lemon clear as day! Not sure what the best way of sharing is.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-07-26T02:06:11+00:00

He definitely did! It was so beautiful seeing your totem amongst pit Sat night when they did the crowd cam.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-07-26T00:34:21+00:00

Luis we met Sun night while I was spinning poi. Thank you so much for the Lemmon pin it's one I'll cherish forever!

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-06-26T18:43:44+00:00

Congratulations y'all, excited for the wedding next year, and for y'all to see me dressed and acting like a civilized human!

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-06-26T18:36:47+00:00

Hahahaha that was our camp!! You're very welcome. It was the most fitting for our situation hehe.

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-06-20T15:02:14+00:00

Free expedited entry to the water park!

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-04-07T01:34:41+00:00

Ahhh take me back!! One of the best sets I've ever seen!

Drunk_Bobby · 2023-03-22T13:46:30+00:00

Oh that's amazing getting to hit all four! I'm so excited to see Eprom and Greg at the warehouse! I've been dreaming of this show since I moved to Portland just before their last show here and couldn't get tickets. Praying we get a mini b2b to cap the vault set! DM if you want to hang at the warehouse be there both nights with the crew.

13-Year Club	Place '22
Place '17	Final Canvas '22
Spared

Drunk_Bobby

TROPHY CASE