How can I break into the FPGA/digital design industry?
Hi everyone,
I'm an last year Electronics Engineering student from Colombia, close to finishing my degree, and I'd like to build my career around FPGA and digital design.
At university, I learned VHDL and SystemVerilog, working with a Basys 3 and a DE10-Lite. I really enjoyed working with them, and that's actually how I discovered that this is the field I'd like to pursue professionally.
My concern now is figuring out how to actually break into the industry. The FPGA industry in Colombia pretty much Nonexistent, while most opportunities I find are in the US and Europe, and even entry-level positions often seem to require previous experience.
For those already working in the field, I'd really appreciate some advice:
- What skills should I focus on before applying for FPGA/RTL positions? Are there any courses or certifications that are actually valuable?
- What kind of FPGA projects would be useful for a portfolio? I'm particularly interested in projects that could demonstrate industry-relevant skills rather than just basic university exercises.
- Which FPGA development board would you recommend buying? FPGA boards can be quite expensive, especially where I live, so I'd like to invest in something that I can use for several meaningful projects without spending more than necessary.
- Is a Master's degree necessary or significantly helpful for getting into FPGA/digital design, especially when coming from a country without a semiconductor industry? Or is a bachelor's degree plus a strong portfolio enough to get started?
I'd really appreciate advice from people working in FPGA, RTL/digital design, verification, or related areas.
Thanks!