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Hi,
New year greetings to everyone.
I have been a regular reader of semi wiki ever since I came across it sometime around when I started my PG studies.
The time has come for me to decide on my internships and Master thesis, and after studying the field thoroughly I am presented with two distinct paths. The following are the two different options in front of me, with inputs I have gathered so far about them.
1.Go for internship and master thesis at any of the semiconductor industries and hopefully get absorbed by the company after completing the internship.
Word is that, the growth in semicon industry is slumped at present, with dwindling PC sales and the not so bright global economic scene.
IDC recently forecasted the slump will probably continue till Q1 of 2013, but is expected to comeback powered by the growth of mobile device segment.
Most of our seniors say the chance of converting an internship to a permanent job is very slim these days, as companies are actually trying to cut down personnel numbers.
Advantages are that I get industry exposure and experience, also I receive stipend during the internship.
2.Go for internship and master thesis at any of the research institutes that offer master thesis work, like IMEC, A*STAR, IME etc.
Most of the institutes in Singapore don't give any stipend during internship.
I am not sure if the industry has same preference for people who interned at an industry and at a research institute. Obviously it must depend on the sort of exposure one got during the internship.
Internship at an institute will give an opportunity to get published, and further down the road I have plans for doing my doctorate, then postdoc etc.
So I need your valuable inputs regarding this crucial decision I have to make within six months time. I am also on the lookout for places I can do my thesis and internship. I have maintained a cgpa of 4.4/5 through out my first semester of coursework. Please advise.
Thanks in advance!
If you enjoy school then stay a bit longer and complete your Masters because it will allow you to start with a higher pay and be given more responsibility.
The semiconductor industry is weak but there are very bright spots within the industry. Fabless companies within wireless industry is looking for engineers. I can say that with confidence as only last month we were struggling to get some ASIC engineers who are a bit fresh.
I will advice, do a project which has a direct industry relevance. Learn practical skills, keep in mind that there is a lot of disconnect between industry and academics. In academics, you learn a wide variety in depth on a smaller scale, but in Industry the focus is more on your ability to handle huge stuff.
Relevant question for me also. As a final year student, this is a vital decision to make and decide about future course. On consulting with one of our Professor, he has asked me to complete Master's which will arm me both for academia and industry in a particular domain. For VLSI category(since the Professor worked for Intel ROM design group), he says the transition from academia to R&D jobs is smooth from the viewpoint of knowledge and research skills acquired during Master's work. But if one decided to go for Project Management or Product Design one can straightaway foray into the industry after an internship in that domain and start learning thereon.
Again, it depends on what you really want. I have been in the R&D for the past 7 years in an established fabless company (please note this discussion is not valid for a new company). Most of the work is 'D' and not 'R'. In the industry we are 'stitching' big blocks and making them work (especially digital). Occasionally, there is 'R' work which is small. This small work is 10-20% design and 80-90 verification and the reason is that you are trying to make this small change and make it work in a big beast. Within our company, we had another team with dedicated researchers and they were very few.
So you should decide, where you really want to be in the whole industry and what you should be doing.
If your goal is go for the Ph.D and money is NOT a concern. Forget about the internship, just go ahead finish the master degree ASAP and enroll yourself in the Ph.D program. A year wasted in the master program means a year late for your Ph.D degree. You will need all the time buffer you may need for your Ph.D thesis if you won't want to still stuck in school when you are 30.
If your goal is a master degree then work in the industry. Maybe I suggest a third option. Find a full time position in a company that sponsor you to study the master degree party time. You will pretty much have no life for a few years, but at the end you get a job, a master degree, and the master degree is FREE!
