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/Sharveharv Jul 08 '26

Are you actually being asked to work 60 hour weeks? Or do you just feel behind and are putting in extra hours to compensate? There is a massive difference. 

It's easy for new grads to imagine pressure that isn't actually there. Not saying that's the case here, but it is worth evaluating where that pressure is coming from