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A comment on How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance?. Parent comment

Re:How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance? by gorjusborg on Tuesday August 08, 2023 @10:48AM (#37049791)
Careful. The cost of a fab makes it very difficult for competitors to start up. Working in a field with only a few competitors seems attractive, but you risk specializing in skills that only few businesses worldwide can leverage.

I used to work in semiconductors and transitioned to software when I realized how precarious that was.

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Re:How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance? by jjoonathan on Tuesday August 08, 2023 @11:59AM (#37051067)
Using mad physics and computer skillz to change the course of empire? Cool! For a $78k salary in HCOL area? Not Cool!

This was years ago and not TX. I'm sure it has gotten slightly better but what I see on glassdoor still makes me very glad I listened to the job hunting postdocs in nanofab class and steered clear of this career path.

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Re:How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance? by gorjusborg on Tuesday August 08, 2023 @03:01PM (#37053906)
It really is such a cool field, but yeah, the pay isn't great, especially given the tendency to crunch.
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Re:How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance? by bob1029 on Tuesday August 08, 2023 @02:34PM (#37053528)
I used to work in semiconductors as well. At the SAS A2/S2 lines right down the street.

I wasn't actually suggesting that I return to my former employer, although the thought has crossed my mind...

My reasoning for a move would be about all of the higher-order consequences of having well-compensated technology enthusiasts imported by the thousands.

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Re:How real is America’s chipmaking renaissance? by gorjusborg on Tuesday August 08, 2023 @03:20PM (#37054155)
> I wasn't actually suggesting that I return to my former employer

No worries, I was picturing a young person setting out to 'make their fortune' by moving across the country to make it. I just wanted to share the perspective I left the field with.

That doesn't mean it isn't possible to make it work!

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