3 ms·

I'm an FPGA dev making more than 300k in NYC working for a trading firm.

• aylons 8y ago
  Thank you. Any tips on how to get in these markets? Also, do these trading firms also design their own custom equipment?
  • someguy12 8y ago
    Yeah. The trick is getting your foot in the door. Equal amounts of expertise and luck are helpful. Most jobs you'll find online or through a recruiter aren't going to be the $300k+ jobs. I found a job opening at an investment bank on monster.com (of all places) after having worked for tech companies for 15 years. I started at $150k. However once I was in finance, I was able to make connections and acquire skills that made me more valuable. After almost 5 years I was able to land a job that pays (much) more than $300k. In my experience these firms do not do true hardware design. We purchase FPGA boards from 3rd party vendors and then do the FPGA development in house.
    • aylons 8y ago
      Thank you for your tips. I see myself in the same situation you were a few years ago: After several years of experience, I'm a bit of tired of doing great stuff for so-so pay, also, I'm looking for a relocation. I'll certainly put finance as an alternative, now.