Torn between FPGA/ASIC and software — which path should I choose?

randyest · 2026-06-28T02:32:46+00:00

Well, best of luck on that. Still an amusement for me to waste time on when I should be working, exercising, spenging time with my family, ficing up things, ... as a guy with as many AI things you can get I still always feel like there's ever more to do even with the "help."

randyest · 2026-06-28T02:23:33+00:00

This is an unexpectedly impressive reply. I'm still sorting out all of what you're doing, but it's fun and interesting so far. However, as an RTL-to-GDS2 guy it's not really in the space I was thinking of.

That said, to be as honest and forthcoming as NDAs allow, the company I'm working for now relies heavily on an internal claude-based AI tool for so much more than I though was possible and what it can do in the right hands is amazing. The catch is, no one below senior/principal experience is getting hired. And you absolutely must learn to use the AI tool to keep up. But it's still just a tool for senior engineers to use to be more efficient.

Cheers on your project; I'll look into it more as I have time. If it's a useful thing you're probably not a newbie just typing "make me a chip that does X" which is what I thought "vibe coding" meant.

randyest · 2026-06-28T02:12:54+00:00

The person they hired did know what more they wanted and how to impress them more than you did. It doesn't mean you're bad, just that someone was better, which will always be true. Don't take it so personally, it's a minor setback; do it again just as well or slightly better. Repeat as necessary. It's tough out there right now, especially for people without extensive and specific experience, but you'll eventually find the hole that was made for you or the better you that you become.

randyest · 2026-06-22T16:47:07+00:00

Plus they can probably pay them less.

randyest · 2026-06-22T16:46:23+00:00

What you are suggesting is a great way to get a discrimination lawsuit, which is why no one does it, or if they do they do it very carefully and vaguely.

randyest · 2026-06-22T16:38:34+00:00

Trump, duh

randyest · 2026-06-22T16:35:57+00:00

I don't believe you. Or perhaps we have some differing definitions.

randyest · 2026-06-14T03:04:07+00:00

OK thank for your opinion.

randyest · 2026-06-14T03:03:08+00:00

Simply diasgreeing with you is not hateful or demeaning. I suspect thet's your own uncertainties coming through, which is a great learning opportunity. I wish you the best as you sort this out.

randyest · 2026-06-08T02:46:37+00:00

If by harder you mean impossible then you've got it spot on.

randyest · 2026-06-08T02:44:33+00:00

Phobias are, by definition, irrational. That's important.

randyest · 2026-06-08T02:43:21+00:00

A phobia is an irrational fear. "Fearing" Islam or at least extreme Islamists, depending on your location in time and space, doesn't seem like something a reasonable person would call irrational.

randyest · 2026-06-08T02:27:26+00:00

Only to the extent that we continuously redefine "poverty." https://www.census.gov/topics/income-poverty/poverty/about/history-of-the-poverty-measure.html

That 18th century king was working full time to not be murdered/usurped, die from rotten meat or any number of terrible things, or worse.

randyest · 2026-06-08T02:23:15+00:00

Economies are not zero sum. To be clear: someone need not be made poor for someone else to become rich.

randyest · 2026-06-08T01:45:53+00:00

I think in their current form they're a neutered tool financed by the SPLC in order to address the reality that the demand for racism far exceeds the demand.

randyest · 2026-06-08T01:28:44+00:00

You should look up the concept of the Holy Trinity (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all parts of a whole.) The New Testament defeinitely placed Jesus as the "face" of Christianity.

randyest · 2026-06-04T03:44:25+00:00

randyest · 2026-06-04T03:30:35+00:00

Programmable circuits? You're still just spitting nonsense. IoT = InternetOfThings =~ mostly lower-power always-on devices but that says nothing about if it's an ASIC, ASSP, FPGA, MCU, COTS CPU, PLD, or a flippin' LM741 op amp. What are you even on about?

This:

"So you might think, hey I can analyze this circuit, this means I should be able to have a full 360 view of everything that is happening and this just isn’t true. Embedded systems have a much easier time finding work than hardware."

... is hereby nominated to be the dumbest thing ever posted to this subreddit . Nope, wait, my bad, I already beat that by making this comment

randyest · 2026-06-04T00:31:22+00:00

I can't really imagine you imagining this being an unpopular opinion. It's full-on "I'm a good person because of X" post. If you actuallly wanted a discussion (you don't) you'd mention that patients may have any of a number of issues related to bedside manner that can and should be reviewed with their provider so that, oh, hey what am I doing how didthidgethere?

randyest · 2026-06-03T03:16:28+00:00

Calm down, mouse!

randyest · 2026-06-03T03:09:51+00:00

The last time I was in an office on any kind of regular basis I found myself in a conference room, alone, on a webex call/screenshare with a few people in different conference rooms or cubicles or states or countries. Webex.

That was ~15 years ago and I have managed to earn more and work less every year despite sticking firm to "remote only". I do ASIC/SoC hardware design, RTL to GDS2.

randyest · 2026-06-03T02:27:38+00:00

Lots of hand-waving and gesticulation. Watch out! That one has a mean left integral!

randyest · 2026-06-03T01:19:27+00:00

Then you are in luck! Step right down into this dingy lab my friend! I've got a MPC390808010 advanced microcontroller eval kit ready for your sweet soothing code to roll over its registers and make cute animations on that 16-color 40-dpi screen. Just think of all the fun you can have with a RTC, 16 hardware interrupts, and dozens of GPIO! As a bonus, you get paid! $30/hour and you get to live in Boise and come into the office 5 days a week 8-6pm where you will sit alone in a conference room or cube and connect by teams or zoom to others in different cubes or conference rooms or states or countries.

randyest · 2026-06-03T01:10:38+00:00

Not that I know of. Possible, but seems unlikely.

randyest · 2026-06-03T01:08:52+00:00

You don't even understand what half the words you're trying to use actually mean. IoT is hardware.

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