a Technologist: Cz’s Contemplations (Circa Year 0)

Abstract

I am a lucky man…. I stumbled into this career of mine – and wow – what a ride it has been! I studied Electronics at the university, all those years ago, because my dad always said that it was good to have a “craft.” And I did not think that modern history or political sciences – the things that I really liked – was what he had in mind. Not good “bread,” to borrow another one of his phrases. So, almost randomly – I picked Electronics and Solid-State Physics. I did like Physical Chemistry in high school, and altogether math and sciences came easily to me. But, truth be said, at the time, I was far more interested in girls, hanging with friends, and other such profound things, rather than anything to do with sciences. I was not like my bro – who was born to be an engineer – tinkering with model boats ever since he was a kid. But I lucked out. I picked Electronics – and it seems to have suited me. Quite abstract and clean – no greasy dirty machines, no noisy construction sites, no bricks and concrete. The downside of a profession like semiconductor technologist is that it is hard to explain to the regular people – it is too abstract and does not involve things that are easily seen or touched. In fact, I have long ago given up trying. Even my kids are not sure what I do and choose to believe that I work for Mafia instead. However, ever since I finished my PhD – which, again, truth be said, I did mostly to avoid army conscription and to prolong my student days – I never had any troubles finding work. In fact, I was always very fortunate and had jobs that were custom-made for me, as opposed to having to fit in some predefined role. I have worked in a fab, in a lab, and in front and back offices. I have worked in a large vertical company, in a medium-sized EDA company, in a small startup, in a fabless company, and as a one-man consultant, servicing clients ranging from startups to financial institutions. And I had positions as a hands-on engineer, as a people manager, a project manager, a team manager, a customer manager, and a business manager. Truth be said, this breath of experiences was not a result of careful career planning on my part – more a case of stumbling into this or that. And the work has been an adventure. Throughout my career I relished going to work, day in and day out. There was always something interesting and exciting going on there. I do feel for the people locked into jobs that they hate. Must be awful. For me, participating in the semiconductor industry, and contributing to the development of the Si Technology – arguably the greatest exponent of human intellect – has truly been a privilege. My contribution is infinitesimally small – minute – but the overall enterprise was huge. So, I was like a tiny ant who helped build a great ant hill. And I even got paid to do it – fed my family, put my kids through college, and, barring any unforeseen disasters, will likely enjoy a relatively comfortable retirement. A lucky man, I am, indeed.