Getting a Job in FPGA

FPGA工程师喜欢解决棘手的问题，并热衷于使用最新技术来创建新产品。以下是有关FPGA市场的一些信息，以及有关与FPGA合作的职业的建议。

FPGA Engineers are in Demand

The FPGA market was valued at $9 billion USD in 2019 andis projected grow to $15 billion by 2027. This considerable growth will be based on many factors including:

• Lower engineering costs and reduced time to market when compared with ASICs
• Expanding autonomous vehicle market
• Increased demand for AI and IoT technology
• 5G技术的发展

This expanding market will drive an increased need for qualified FPGA engineers. And because FPGAs are used in many market segments and industries, the demand for talented engineers will comes from many areas including:

• Telecommunications
• Automotive
• 消费产品
• Industrial
• Military and Aerospace
• Data Processing

FPGA用于消费者，汽车和工业应用中的许多不同类型的产品。特定应用包括信号处理，生物医学仪器，设备控制器，机器视觉系统，测试和测量设备，软件定义的无线电，随机逻辑，医学成像，密码学，计算机硬件仿真，语音识别等。狗万电脑平台消费电子应用程序包括智能手机，自动驾驶汽车，显示器，相机，视频和图像处理以及安全系统。FPGA还用于许多商业应用，例如服务器和各种市场，包括航空航天和国防，医疗电子以及分布式货币系统。

What Do FPGA Engineers Need to Know?

• Design Tools –FPGA设计工程师需要对通用行业软件和设计工具有很好的了解。MATLAB，SIMULINK，OCTAVE，VERDI等程序用于创建数字原型并实际上模拟应用程序。
• Process- 设计师必须具有在过程中并与工程师团队紧密合作的能力。FPGA设计师不仅要专注于项目的一部分，还需要很好地了解其FPGA配置如何适合整体解决方案。良好的沟通技巧至关重要。FPGA设计工程师应该对工程学有深入的了解，并深入了解项目如何通过客户的实现和使用来概念化项目。
• Creativity –FPGA设计engineers need to be able to find creative solutions. Effective designers utilize their experience and creativity to evolve and attempt new things. Their inventiveness leads to finding new solutions to meet project requirements.
• Scripting and Coding– FPGA design engineer careers require strong programming skills. Designers should have experience with languages such as Python. They will also need to use a coding language like Verilog or VHDL. Design engineers often work very close with other members of a software teams and need to understand multiple languages so they can collaborate and work closely within a team.
• Eye for Detail- FPGA可以成为非常复杂的系统的一部分。小小的初始错误可能会导致大问题，并使整个项目处于危险之中。设计师必须能够在不同的情况下工作，并在整个开发过程中敏锐地关注细节。
• Problem Solver– FPGA design engineers are problem solvers. They’re required to create solutions while working with limitations like budgets, regulations, customer specifications, and more. An FPGA system is like a jigsaw puzzle and problem-solving skills can be equally important as technical knowledge.

Getting Hired as an FPGA Engineer

Job seekers should be specific with the technologies they’ve worked with and include keywords in a resume- things like Vivado, Verilog, VHDL, Xilinx, MATLAB, Python, USB, SoC, PCIe, etc. Another great way to stand out is to post previous work and personal projects on community forums. These posts show a passion for solving problems and creating new solutions. Opportunities in government and defense work are extensive. Defense contractors offer many opportunities to new graduates. Job seekers should be prepared to need a security clearance, and what that involves.

Salary

According to salary.com, thesalary range for an FPGA engineer in the United States为94,630美元至143,449美元，平均基本工资为115,426美元。

The FPGA market is expanding. Careers in FPGA design are extensive and available in many industries and business sectors. Successful engineers are always learning and improving their skills, particularly as technology and the industry changes.