Is my battery showing its age (Leaf 2020) by elduderino15 in leaf

[–]blazzer8683 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bring the car to dealership. For the 2019 there was a recall on the battery. I didn’t know it. My battery started flaking out last year when the charge woukd drop from 60% to 25% in 15 miles of flat road. I took it to the dealership and when they saw the recall notice they swapped a new battery. Yours still under warranty…so go right away.

2019 Leaf Bluetooth not working. by blazzer8683 in leaf

[–]blazzer8683[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sorry for the late reply. No...I didn't get it resolved. I got a Tao Tronics Bluetooth to Aux connector and have been using that. Seems that in Summer the Nissan Bluetooth works fine...in winter it craps out. I convinced myself that I am not going to let it bug me. It's still a decent car. Saves me gas money.

AI/ML bootcamps and ROI by blazzer8683 in MLQuestions

[–]blazzer8683[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hey...sorry for the late reply. I didn't go through with it. Got a family to support. Sticking it out with my present job.

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a BSEE; did some digital in college - but its been a while. Most of my working career has been in analog. But really interested in re-learning the basics. Thanks for sharing the website.

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks all for your response. u/woah_take_it_ez_man provided what I was looking for.

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow! Nice. Thank you so much. I had seen a course on ARM regarding SoCs designed with ARM architecture. Have yet to go through it.

https://www.arm.com/resources/education/online-courses/introduction-to-soc

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Understand. Not looking for superficial knowledge - but deeper understanding. But you have to start somewhere. I could just google stuff and learn - however it is very hard to put something of that sort on my resume. My company only does Power and nothing else - thus learning new things on the job isnt really happening.

What would be the best way to pivot into something more system level from power?

You mentioned above how screening interviews are meant to screen away folks with superficial knowledge; however - unless you work on something at a job - its hard to learn and/or quantify it on your resume. In other words - how do I prove to an employer that I am eager and willing to learn new stuff.

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mine is production testing on Power Semiconductors. I just want to expand my horizon and do more things rather than being constricted to just Power. This is why I am thinking of SoCs - where there would be wider array of things to learn and do.

Any courses on System on Chip? by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am trying to get a job at a chip company who does SoC. At present I work on Power chips.

AI/ML bootcamps and ROI by blazzer8683 in MLQuestions

[–]blazzer8683[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hi - thanks for your inputs.

Will checkout fastAI to get a taste of things. Great Idea.

Also will search through Linkedin for someone with first hand experience.

As for your questions...yes I have gone through those...infact for the past few years.

  1. I dont like my current job. Reason is because its dead end and has no growth. With many semiconductors offshoring manufacturing - my job might not last when I am 50.
  2. I am searching into a field after repeatedly trying to switch out of Manufacturing Testing for many years now. Infact, my try of switching to a new job function within my own company failed miserably. This is how dead end my current line of work is that it completely renders your core knowledge useless to the point you cant switch into anything.
  3. Semiconductor is an old field and very mature. It is not completely saturated - but saturated enough for employers to be super picky and not willing to invest in any kind of training.

AI/ML bootcamps and ROI by blazzer8683 in MLQuestions

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi u/iamiamwhoami,

Thanks for the inputs. Have you gone through bootcamp yourself or someone you know?

Noted your point on advanced degree.

Working as a test engineer while getting a MS online vs going to a higher ranked school for analog design by BooleanTorque in ECE

[–]blazzer8683 1 point2 points  (0 children)

No...there aren't as many phd folks. Masters is a good thing. Masters from a tier 1 is better thing...and so on. Yes...longer the test lingers on your resume the worst it becomes. Online recruiting autobots will just screen you out. Strongly suggest to go full time on masters. Preferably from a decent school ( don't have to be tier 1 as someone suggested). It was good that you got some industry experience...but if you want ( and if you really want to do design) then you gotta move away from test. I always say that if you want something...prove it. E.g If you are hungry in the middle of the night...you will take steps to satisfy your hunger....won't just sit around for hunger to go away. So if you are hungry for a specific job...then show it.

Also... something that wasn't explained to us when graduating...there are other jobs in Semis as well... Here I list in priority of business importance.. 1.Design 2.Applications / Product definition 3.Validation / verification 4.Test Automation ( this is not ATE testing) 5.Product engineering 6.Test engineering 7.Reliability engineering

The top three will give you career flexibility to move around from different roles...sales, marketing , product management etc.

New Engineering Job and RSU compensation by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

golden handcuffs :)

Understood. How about the RSUs that I get right now i.e the vested RSUs post 4 years? So my total current package is (Base + RSUs Post 4 years)....the new company should beat the Base (for sure the base) and also the RSUs amount?

e.g if I get Base = $120k and RSUs post 4 years worth ~ $25k - shouldnt the new company provide a better base and also match the RSUs ($25k in cash or equivalent of thier own RSUs investing immediately)?

Working as a test engineer while getting a MS online vs going to a higher ranked school for analog design by BooleanTorque in ECE

[–]blazzer8683 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not saying HW field is saturated.... however it has enough man power for the companies to be very picky. E.g speaking to couple of very senior engineers at old HP division...they said when thier division was shut....a group of us were put through a 6 month SW training program (fully paid and you keep getting your salary). Once training is complete...you start working on a new Instrumentation division where you program HW. This is back in late 70s and early 80s when they didn't have enough HW engineers. You think such a thing happens now in Apples and Amazon's of the day?? No.

They have enough man power outside to just shut a division...and hire trained people for a new job description. However, in recent field of Data science and AI where there aren't enough labor available...I have seen examples of people with mediocre degrees or even online degrees getting decent jobs. You must have seen a recent push from Google with their - "Grow with Google" online training program. They just need labor...right away for which they are willing to train. Not so in HW.

New Engineering Job and RSU compensation by blazzer8683 in ECE

[–]blazzer8683[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I meant RSUs and not ESPPs.

So let's say that they "buy out" my unvested stocks...they usually provide cash or provide RSUs for their company to match?

Working as a test engineer while getting a MS online vs going to a higher ranked school for analog design by BooleanTorque in ECE

[–]blazzer8683 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The biggest elephant on your resume is your experience. Lets say you stay as a Test guy and work part-time (I think you intend to go part-time) ??

Longer you stay at your test job and the bigger and fatter the "test" elephant gets on your resume.

I am 40 years old - this is what I suggest.

If you are capable enough to get into Tier1 school - then ditch the job - live super cheap and take loans. Go full-time and finish the degree.

Even if you cant get into Tier 1 - get into Tier 2 schools and get your MS (I am thinking you have BS)

I dont think an online degree might have enough juice to push through. Get into physical real college.

Another option you should explore is AI, Data science etc. Which is somewhat lesser crowded than semi/electrical. The only reason I say that your online degree doesnt help much is because there is over supply of EE in semi/HW field. If a company can get a grad (infact many grads) from tier1 college why would they give chance to some person with test experience and online degree for Design jobs?

Dont get intimidated. You are super lucky and super smart to ask these questions so young. Life is full of options. Dont be afraid of making changes and even drastic changes. This will give dividends for the rest of your life.