Passion versus Practicality in Engineering Careers
A framework for choosing your specialization focus when industry trends and personal interests don’t align.
Welcome to the weekday free-edition of this newsletter that is a small idea, an actionable tip, or a short insight that takes less than 5 minutes to read. If you’re new, start here!
P.S.: I’m trying out an FAQ format with short answers to common reader questions. If you want to send in your questions, use this link. Please provide substantial context instead of one-liners.
Q: Is it still a good idea to specialize in wireless communications and signal processing, or has the industry moved on?
A reader wrote to me recently asking if wireless and signal processing is a stagnant field and whether they should avoid pursuing it in a Master's program.
The specific concern was related to the following:
If 4G data rates are sufficient for most use-cases, and 5G adoption was lukewarm, will there be any jobs when 6G rolls out in 2030?
Working in the satellite industry may not be possible due to work-authorization issues on an immigrant visa.
In the past, I have written about The Gigabit Wall and how we’ve mostly met our needs for speed. The panel sessions at 2025 IMS: Has RF lost its spark? and How LEO satellite markets are exclusive, both echo the sentiment that we are facing stagnation in the RF industry and the satellite industry is challenging due to limited market players. The concerns are real.
However, I view this question as a general form of “I am passionate about X, but Y is current a hot market. What should I do?” The main concern is where does one draw the line between pursuing interests and accumulating relevant skills to land a job on graduation?
Let’s talk about this.
Here’s my own story that resonates with the reader’s question.
When I started my Master’s at Texas A&M University in 2006, I was enamored by electromagnetics and field theory. Most people told me not to pursue this because jobs in defense are impossible to get as an immigrant in the US. Looking at it most directly, my only options would have been to design traditional antennas at a defense contractor that I could not get work authorization for. But I went for it anyway.
After I started taking classes, I realized that RF filters were fascinating. My eventual PhD dissertation would be on tunable RF MEMS filters. Along the way, I also got to tape-out an integrated filter on silicon — which was a valuable experience. My two internships in graduate school were at Texas Instruments, where I worked on signal integrity on PCBs.
When I graduated with my PhD in 2011, I got lucky. Well, it didn’t feel lucky at the time — I applied to 77 jobs and got 75 rejections. But I was about to enter the greatest era of wireless communications ever. I saw the rise of the iPhone, three generations of communication technology and phased arrays becoming commercial technology. I wasn’t going to solve Maxwell’s equations, but three specific skills helped me land my first job at pSemi — an RFIC switch company:
Expert use of electromagnetic simulation software: Everything was going to higher frequencies, and using tools like Ansys HFSS needed experts. I had used these extensively in the 5 years prior.
Knowledge of RF switches: I had practical knowledge of RF MEMS switches, a competitor to RF-SOI and GaAs switches. RF switches were something I could work with.
Tape-out experience in silicon: I had basic knowledge of the end-to-end design flow of an integrated circuit, and could explain to an interviewer how it worked.
While I had started out with the goal of field theory, the skills I had accumulated along the way ended up putting me on a different, but useful path — one that I am still gainfully employed in 15 years later. My skillsets have since morphed significantly.
Here’s the key thing: I got lucky because my skills happened to be aligned when the industry boomed, and nobody saw it coming in 2006. Similarly, nobody saw the rise of AI/ML which has been around for decades before. Today advanced packaging is all the rage, but was considered a largely un-sexy field to specialize in.
In the fast moving world of technology, it is near impossible to predict how things will turn out 5 years from now.
Below, we will discuss three points that I hope will provide you with a starting point for how to go about thinking for yourself.
#1: The Danger of Following the Proven Path
It’s easy to go where everyone else is going. In my time, that path was digital design. It felt safe. It felt practical. But the tradeoff is that you end up looking like everyone else—same skills, same resume, same value proposition.
When I graduated, I had a skill set that wasn’t entirely common. I had gone deep into RF, just as the wireless industry was about to take off. That decision made all the difference. In the same way, people who studied machine-learning ten years ago—when it wasn’t yet mainstream—are now some of the most in-demand engineers in the industry.
There is nothing wrong with choosing a safe path; it provides stability, reasonable guarantees of employment (which is closely tied to immigration) and a successful career in the semiconductor industry. However, what you consider safe might just be the very same thing that prevents you from getting a job later because you are just one of many candidates with the same skillset vying for the same job.
You need to develop some sort of unique selling proposition along the way.
#2: Developing a Unique Selling Proposition
The needs of the industry have shifted in a big way over the last couple of decades. Today, companies are not just looking for specialists. Engineers with a systems view, or a broader view of the field stand out as candidates. It matters less whether you studied electromagnetics, wireless communication, or signal processing. What matters more is how you add adjacent skills that make you more versatile and valuable.
Let’s look at a few examples:
Communication theory + analog/optical design: A hot field as data centers move toward higher order modulations and faster interconnects. In that context, combining an understanding of communication systems with analog or optical design creates a skill set that is both powerful and highly employable.
Machine-learning + signal processing: The application of machine-learning to classify signals for automotive radar applications, anti-jamming technologies in drones or simply increasing SNR in dense radio deployments are becoming increasingly valuable. Applying modern AI techniques to classical signal processing concepts still holds a lot of potential for new, innovative applications.
RF design + advanced packaging: Chip designs are getting more complex, and the needs of the future will be met with advanced packaging with high speed interconnects. If you are focused on RF, adding package design expertise can significantly increase your value. It positions you as someone who understands both the signal integrity and the process flow requirements for building high-speed interconnects directed towards disaggregated designs.
You can mix-and-match other subfields of EE. This is how you build a rare and differentiated profile.
#3: Have Enough Breadth of Knowledge to Know When to Pivot
The truth is that it’s almost impossible to guarantee that you are making the right decisions in real time. You only find out in hindsight how things could have turned out instead. I have close friends who are very good at knowing when to bail. They have a knack for sensing when a particular path is not working out and when it’s time to try something different.
To give yourself the best chance of making the right choices, you need to build a broad understanding of the semiconductor industry. That means reading news articles and papers, attending conferences, and following newsletters (like this one🫣). Staying informed is not a passive activity. It is how you tune your antennas to spot trends and identify where the opportunities lie. It is how you know when to pivot and what you need to do to get there.
One mistake I have made myself is going deep into my particular field without understanding what lies beyond it — something I have only recently started to remedy by forcing myself to write regular posts for this newsletter. Companies are already eager to pigeonhole you into narrow roles. You should not do the same to yourself.
A Word of Advice
To the reader who asked the question: if wireless communications and signal processing are where your interests lie, and you truly enjoy working in those areas, I strongly encourage you to follow that path. There is nothing more demotivating than spending years of your life working on something you don’t enjoy.
It is also important to recognize that choosing a field of study does not lock you into one kind of role. Whether it’s 6G, satellite communications, or something else entirely, there are many paths that open up along the way. Take courses outside your core requirements. Talk to people in different areas. Engage with professionals in the industry. These steps help you build the kind of breadth that allows you to pivot when the time comes.
Most importantly, regardless of where you are in your career, you will need to keep updating your knowledge to stay relevant. The pace of change in technology leaves no room for complacency. Constant learning is the only way to stay current and move forward.
Good luck in your adventures!
If you have thoughts on this, leave them in the comments below.
Just a reminder that paid subscribers can start threads in the Substack chat and engage with the Vik’s Newsletter community.
If you’re a student or from a low-income country, check out discounts.