I am a hardware board design engineer, and I want to move to Analog IC design. Will a part-time PhD help me in this?

[newbie_hs]

Dear Team,

This is not related to any circuit design.I need your opinion.My question is given below.

I am a hardware board design engineer, and I want to move to Analog IC design. Will a part-time PhD help me in this?

May I know whether industry consider part time PhD holders.

Regards
H

 

[barry]

Dear Team,

This is not related to any circuit design.I need your opinion.My question is given below.

I am a hardware board design engineer, and I want to move to Analog IC design. Will a part-time PhD help me in this?

May I know whether industry consider part time PhD holders.

Regards
H

At the risk of sounding flippant, I think actually learning Analog IC Design is way more important than a PhD.
(And I have no idea what a "part time PhD" is; either you have one or you dont. )

 

[BigBoss]

If you do a Ph.D on a particular subject, it might help otherwise it'd be waste of time.
An good engineer learns to design by experience, not from papers,textbooks, etc. You should spend most of the time at labo. and practicing works.

 

[danadakk]

Take a look at Jim Williams or Bob Pease lab notes/books to get a feel
for deep dive analog experiences.

http://twanclik.free.fr/electricity/electronic/PDFDONE2/Analog%20Circuit%20Design.pdf

https://www.pearl-hifi.com/06_Lit_Archive/02_PEARL_Arch/Vol_16/Sec_53/Pease_Lab_Notes/Bob_Pease_Lab_Notes_Part_8.pdf

and attached.


Regards, Dana.

 

[dick_freebird]

I've been doing analog IC design for 40 years and have not
even considered a PhD. In general my cohort stopped at a
Master's, tops. Roles like device physics and reliability seemed
to promote PhD as a career move. But fact is, a professor is
a lot less likely to have a practical answer to your practical
problem of the day, than the guy down the hall who solved the
same thing last year when it was his part's turn in the tank.
And product development is all about knocking down practical
problems one by one.

Beware of PhDs hijacking your product development with
high sounding concepts that are only good for papers, not
products. Sometimes (like, all the time) you'd like a couple of
stepping-stones between your theory and your commitment
to silicon.

 

[newbie_hs]

At the risk of sounding flippant, I think actually learning Analog IC Design is way more important than a PhD.
(And I have no idea what a "part time PhD" is; either you have one or you dont. )

A part-time PhD would enable you to acquire your doctorate degree while pursuing a full-time job. It is of a longer duration spanning around 6 to 8 years while a regular doctoral degree might be somewhere between 3 to 5 years.

--- Updated Jul 4, 2023 ---

I've been doing analog IC design for 40 years and have not
even considered a PhD. In general my cohort stopped at a
Master's, tops. Roles like device physics and reliability seemed
to promote PhD as a career move. But fact is, a professor is
a lot less likely to have a practical answer to your practical
problem of the day, than the guy down the hall who solved the
same thing last year when it was his part's turn in the tank.
And product development is all about knocking down practical
problems one by one.

Beware of PhDs hijacking your product development with
high sounding concepts that are only good for papers, not
products. Sometimes (like, all the time) you'd like a couple of
stepping-stones between your theory and your commitment
to silicon.

Thank you.
Why I thought of PhD is mainly for career change and obviously I am interested in Analog IC design.

For the past 10 years I am working as Hardware Board design engineer.I have good experience in analog board level design.(Design using Opamps,ADC's,MOS,DC-DC etc).

I tried to move to analog ic design domain,but companies are not ready to accept beacuse my past experience is in Hardware board design.

So I thought of doing PhD in Analog IC design and move to that area.

 

[barry]

A part-time PhD would enable you to acquire your doctorate degree while pursuing a full-time job. It is of a longer duration spanning around 6 to 8 years while a regular doctoral degree might be somewhere between 3 to 5 years.

--- Updated Jul 4, 2023 ---

Thank you.
Why I thought of PhD is mainly for career change and obviously I am interested in Analog IC design.

For the past 10 years I am working as Hardware Board design engineer.I have good experience in analog board level design.(Design using Opamps,ADC's,MOS,DC-DC etc).

I tried to move to analog ic design domain,but companies are not ready to accept beacuse my past experience is in Hardware board design.

So I thought of doing PhD in Analog IC design and move to that area.

A part-time PhD would enable you to acquire your doctorate degree while pursuing a full-time job. It is of a longer duration spanning around 6 to 8 years while a regular doctoral degree might be somewhere between 3 to 5 years.

--- Updated Jul 4, 2023 ---

8 years sounds like an awfully long time to waste to get into IC design. Things you learn in year one are most likely obsolete in year 8.

 

[newbie_hs]

8 years sounds like an awfully long time to waste to get into IC design. Things you learn in year one are most likely obsolete in year 8.

If you are ready to putt effort you can finish in 5 years

 

[barry]

To repeat what people keep trying to tell you:

YOU DON’T NEED A PHD TO DO ANALOG IC DESIGN.

If you want a PhD, fine, go for it. But it seems like you think that’s a necessity, which it isn’t.

 

[dick_freebird]

Just a stray bit of career advice, never wait until you've finished some
"upgrade" before you start shopping the merch. You can get as much
interview traction by saying / showing you are in the PhD program,
as by showing the degree - maybe more, because they can "get in
on the ground floor" with a "lowly" Master's on a growth path, and
not a self satisfied PhD who's expecting to sit and pass judgment on
other peoples' stuff once they get in the chair.

Work it, and sell it. Imagine your diploma is a brass pole. Seriously.
You don't just stand there with it and expect Good Things to happen,
right? But you can make some moves off it, that aren't practical
otherwise (or, require more athleticism than you might possess).

 

[nitishn5]

Instead of a PhD, why don't you go for a Masters course which would complete in just 2/2.5 years?

From what I understand is that you have decent experience in analog design at the board level and just want to move into the Analog IC design domain and are seeing push back from employers since you don't have the "right" qualification that they are looking for.

A Masters degree would cover all the theory parts as well as lab assignments/projects and you will also get a certificate to show employers that you know beyond hardware board design.

 

[newbie_hs]

Instead of a PhD, why don't you go for a Masters course which would complete in just 2/2.5 years?

From what I understand is that you have decent experience in analog design at the board level and just want to move into the Analog IC design domain and are seeing push back from employers since you don't have the "right" qualification that they are looking for.

A Masters degree would cover all the theory parts as well as lab assignments/projects and you will also get a certificate to show employers that you know beyond hardware board design.

Thank you very much for your reply. I already have a masters degree in VLSI, after masters I got a hardware design job and I continued with that.Now 13 years is over
May I know will doing PG diploma in Analog IC design help me for a change.
Something like this course (https://www.takshila-vlsi.com/product/analog-circuit-design-online/)

 

[barry]

Why don't you just take some courses on Analog IC Design, if that's your actual goal?

 

[newbie_hs]

Why don't you just take some courses on Analog IC Design, if that's your actual goal?

I am seriously thinking about it.Below is the link of one institue which provide the course.

Best Analog Circuit Design Training Institute for Professionals - Upgrade VLSI

Learn Analog Circuit Design from Industry experts. Hands-on design of Opamp, LDO, BGR, A/D Converters with 24x7 tool access.

www.upgradevlsi.com

May I know your comments about the syllabus.

Please see one demo class video below.

Please share your opinion

 

[barry]

I am seriously thinking about it.Below is the link of one institue which provide the course.

Best Analog Circuit Design Training Institute for Professionals - Upgrade VLSI

Learn Analog Circuit Design from Industry experts. Hands-on design of Opamp, LDO, BGR, A/D Converters with 24x7 tool access.

www.upgradevlsi.com

May I know your comments about the syllabus.

Please see one demo class video below.

Please share your opinion

I can't comment on that, as I'm not an IC designer. My comments to you were just based on years of experience in industry. (And I don't have a PhD).

 

[dick_freebird]

All that coursework is a "push" on a door that may or may not
swing your way.

You need to find someone who wants to "pull" you toward the
kind of work you want to do.

When I decided analog looked a whole lot more interesting than
one more standard cell CMOS chip, I started by taking on interface
chips as a "stepping stone". Didn't hurt that in those days, even
"logic" design meant a lot of time spent in SPICE and schematics,
not like today's level of abstraction and divorce-from-reality.

But I was in a company that had a broad portfolio of technologies
and did all kinds of analog, digital, interface and power products.
That meant opportunities to transfer, which I had only to pursue.

Maybe yours has pockets of need, that you could offer to help out
on and gain practical experience, leading to more. Is there a mixed
signal group? A new process that needs all its I/Os and any analog
macros retargeted? Or just somebody really wants to put some
analog content onto your digital flow, but nobody has the time
to work on the "housekeeping bandgap reference" that's on the
list.

 

[newbie_hs]

All that coursework is a "push" on a door that may or may not
swing your way.

View attachment 183641

You need to find someone who wants to "pull" you toward the
kind of work you want to do.

When I decided analog looked a whole lot more interesting than
one more standard cell CMOS chip, I started by taking on interface
chips as a "stepping stone". Didn't hurt that in those days, even
"logic" design meant a lot of time spent in SPICE and schematics,
not like today's level of abstraction and divorce-from-reality.

But I was in a company that had a broad portfolio of technologies
and did all kinds of analog, digital, interface and power products.
That meant opportunities to transfer, which I had only to pursue.

Maybe yours has pockets of need, that you could offer to help out
on and gain practical experience, leading to more. Is there a mixed
signal group? A new process that needs all its I/Os and any analog
macros retargeted? Or just somebody really wants to put some
analog content onto your digital flow, but nobody has the time
to work on the "housekeeping bandgap reference" that's on the
list.

Thank you. Mixed signal group is there and I approached them couple of times. They are not saying anything positive or negative.
I started refreshing my analog ic design basics.I don't have access to cadence tools. Doing my design verification with LTSPICE(I have 180nm model files for Ltspice).

Investing all the remining time(time I am getting after my current job) on Analog IC's now.

If you have any suggestions for learning curve,please let me know.

 

[nitishn5]

Assuming that you are in India, one of the major roadblock you will face would be your current salary w.r.t. experience level.
You essentially want to rejoin as a fresher in a new domain. Which would also mean a fresher salary. So it is your job to tell potential recruiters that you are not expecting them to match your current salary.

If you want to shift within your current company, you might want to tell them that you are willing to take a pay cut if necessary.

I would suggest applying at some VLSI startups as well. At least in a startup you might be able to convince someone human as compared to a big corporate where the system might discard your application based on the some irrelevant metric.

Also, an 2nd Masters is not something unheard of. As long as it is done in a better college I suppose.

 

[newbie_hs]

Assuming that you are in India, one of the major roadblock you will face would be your current salary w.r.t. experience level.
You essentially want to rejoin as a fresher in a new domain. Which would also mean a fresher salary. So it is your job to tell potential recruiters that you are not expecting them to match your current salary.

If you want to shift within your current company, you might want to tell them that you are willing to take a pay cut if necessary.

I would suggest applying at some VLSI startups as well. At least in a startup you might be able to convince someone human as compared to a big corporate where the system might discard your application based on the some irrelevant metric.

Also, an 2nd Masters is not something unheard of. As long as it is done in a better college I suppose.

Thank you.
Yes I am from India .

I am facing some roadblock related to salary, I am ready for a salary cut. Also hiring managers are telling that you need to work with freshers they will learn fast and you won't be able to match their speed. I know your comments about this.

After refreshing concepts I will definitely contact VLSI startups.

 

[dick_freebird]

Speed sounds good until you think about brakes and steering, which
you might think about how to advertise - if your value proposition
relative to a "fresher" is in experience and not-repeating-mistakes,
you should be able to articulate this with examples from adjacent
work. Think back about "unexpected problems" and how (if) you
debugged and corrected, what you now watch out for, etc. If you
say you've learned in your present role, what -did- you learn that
is worth having on the team?

To the mixed signal group (its hiring manager) you might offer the
proposition that you can handle the digital side of MS circuitry for
the group, while picking up projects that afford you the learning
/ career opportunities you seek. It's not all about you - to them, it's
about them. Put something on the table that makes it an exchange
of value rather than a "beg".