0

Has anyone ever made a career change from back end software to embedded engineering?

Profile picture
Entry-Level Software Engineer [SDE 1] at Amazon9 months ago

I am a back end engineer that works with Java. What steps could I take to make a switch to a job that works with hardware and software? I have some small side projects to learn more firmware related skills but I'm not sure how I could make something that could help me switch career fields.

161
2

Discussion

(2 comments)
  • 1
    Profile picture
    Tech Lead @ Robinhood, Meta, Course Hero
    9 months ago

    Building hardware side projects is pretty hard, but if you have some ideas, go for it! (and maybe share them with the Taro community as well)

    Since you work at Amazon, you have a huge advantage compared to 90%+ of other engineers who want to make a similar switch. Amazon is one of few tech companies that has both a robust software and hardware business, so my recommendation is to push for an internal transfer to one of the more hardware-facing teams. I know that those orgs have faced big cuts recently (like Alexa/Echo), but I imagine there's still some headcount floating around?

    When it comes to engineering pivots in general, you can learn more here: "How to transition from back-end development to distributed systems?"

  • 1
    Profile picture
    Tech Lead/Manager at Meta, Pinterest, Kosei
    8 months ago

    What are some jobs you're envisioning where you work with both hardware and software? Asking because as you go up the career ladder, there will be an increasing demand to specialize in one domain.

    Want to make sure you think about, at least at a high level, what are some of the roles you'd want to take on in 3-5 years.