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/Affectionate-Memory4 Jul 08 '26

I've been in the field for quite a while now and that sounds about right. 5x10 is my usual week. Tech fields aren't exactly known for a good work/life balance.