Ask HN: Am I harming my career prospects by working in computer architecture
I'm a SW engineer by trade, having worked in the area of hardware-software interface for the last decade. Recently (last 1.5 years) I've a new role that is leading to my contributing more at the hardware architecture level. I'm really enjoying it but worry that I might get pigeon-holed or it might work against me in the long term. Anyone else been through this sot of thing? Any recommendations?
Devs who grok the 10 layers below “full stack” are always going to be in demand, but ops might be more geo-limited. Just make sure some layer you’re dealing with is in fashion (all the hw people I know do python now).
It will just amplify your opportunities in my opinion. You'll still be a software engineer, you'll just have hardware experience as well.
Agreed. There's tons of employment for people that can work with microcontrollers, FPGAs, ASICs, bespoke control hardware, etc. which are often harder to get into than traditional software engineering.
Tends to pay a lot less, though.