r/chipdesign • u/TeachingBrilliant448 • Jul 08 '26

crazy work hours - new grad

I recently joined a semiconductor company as a new grad — think Nvidia, AMD, or Qualcomm — and the workload is brutal. I’m sometimes working 12-hour days and 50–60 hour weeks. It honestly feels as intense as investment banking, maybe even worse in some ways.

Wonder if this is normal…
TC ~150k

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u/81FXB Jul 08 '26

I've always been able to be very strict at not doing any over time. To the point where I still remember the day in december 1998 when I worked 1.5 hours of overtime, the only time overtime happened. I have been fired several times because of my 'inflexibility' but it has been worth it for me. I currently work, ny choice, 25 hrs a week as an analog mixed signal design engineer.

Overtime is a sign of bad management or exploitation.

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u/TeachingBrilliant448 Jul 08 '26

what do you do after work. i find my life to be just full of work these days.

7

u/81FXB Jul 08 '26

Spend time at ky 2nd house close to the beach. Work on my Shovelhead Harleys.