From WeChat Official Account: Embedded Linux
The questions are as follows:
I am currently 25 years old, graduated from a non-985 university. I work in Shenzhen, doing embedded development, and my salary is currently average. After reading many blogs written by seniors, I find them great. I have some questions.
1. Recently, there have been significant layoffs in the internet sector, coupled with the promotion of stable jobs, which has made me worried about the instability of working in private enterprises. I would like to ask seniors what solutions and methods they have for dealing with the 35-year crisis. 2. Can one really continue working in the embedded industry? Since I am from Hubei, I will eventually return to Wuhan, and I have some doubts about the development prospects of embedded jobs outside of first-tier cities. 3. If embedded development can be pursued long-term, should I choose RTOS and then move on to Linux? This is the learning path I found, but I am unsure if it is feasible. 4. I have recently learned that various banks, both large and small, have backend or app development businesses. Are there many corresponding state-owned enterprises or stable positions in embedded development, or at this stage, should I consider pursuing a master’s degree and starting over? Thank you very much for your answers.
Response:
Your questions are very representative and direct. I cannot guarantee that my views are correct; I can only analyze these matters from my perspective, hoping it will help you in your work and future choices.
1. Whether in the internet sector, private enterprises, or even in the past state-owned enterprises (and now state-owned enterprises), I don’t know if you are aware that even those who used to work in factories with iron rice bowls faced the risk of layoffs. ‘The layoffs of those years caused many people to lose their jobs, and many families lost their livelihood.’
Therefore, regardless of whether it is the internet, banks, state-owned enterprises, etc., I do not believe that people working in these sectors have no risks at all, nor do I think they can eat stable meals for a lifetime. It is best to take a long-term view and not base your life on one or two choices, nor should you think that one or two failures mean your life will lack color.
In this matter, my advice is to make the most beneficial choice at present, choose a good industry, a good direction, a profitable job, and a job with development potential. For example, if it is a good time to earn money in the past two years, then earn well; do not choose comfort when you can earn money, and do not make large expenditures when the market is not good.
As for the next 5, 10, or 20 years, I cannot say it will definitely be good or bad, but one thing is certain: some direction will definitely fall to the bottom, while some direction will rise steadily.
It can also be guaranteed that if there are no major changes, the overall industry will definitely trend towards improvement.
35-Year Crisis‼️—To forge iron, one must be strong oneself. Living well in the present is the best way to address the 35-year crisis. Many times, our worries about the future stem from a sense of crisis about our current situation. If we can live well in the present, then the issues of 35 years old are just the issues of the present, right?
2. The embedded industry is a very broad field. For example, smartphones—are they considered embedded? Certainly, they are a typical example of embedded hardware and software that can be tailored. But is the smartphone industry competitive? Definitely, it is very competitive. Is the profit margin high? I don’t think so; the current profit model for smartphones may not even be based on the hardware itself.
Then there are automobiles, drones, semiconductors, etc., all of which involve embedded fields. However, many areas within these fields are interconnected. Some people do not like to switch between different tasks every day, so they choose a very narrow subfield, such as only debugging cameras or only debugging a specific ADC chip. They are also engaged in the embedded field. Some prefer to work on products, so they focus on driver development, application development, etc. All of these are perfectly fine.
But can one work in embedded development for a lifetime?
I don’t think anyone can give a definitive answer, but it is certain that if the entire industry is still active, and if the overall environment is focused on stability and improving people’s lives, then I believe the directions we are pursuing will continue to have good development and can definitely be pursued long-term.
You might one day come back to find a housekeeping robot at home helping you clean, perhaps a robot that helps you cover up at night, gives you massages, delivers packages, etc. There are also cars and medical devices that require embedded technology.
And the scenarios I mentioned, even for a very small product application, can require one to two years of product development and mass production.
From this perspective, you need not worry about the embedded industry failing. I recently saw an 80-year-old foreigner still programming.
3. RTOS, microcontrollers, Linux, and FPGA, etc., are all viable options. However, I believe RTOS, microcontrollers, and Linux can be learned together. Learning together does not mean you will master them all at once, but rather that when you work, you can look into these areas, so when you need to use them, you won’t be completely clueless. You should focus your energy on your work; doing your job well is the most important thing.
4. Banks can only be said to be auxiliary departments of social development. During a war, they are responsible for cooking for the army behind the scenes. Their positions are inherently limited. If you like it, keep an eye on it; there will definitely be opportunities, and you need not worry about that. If you really like it, you can also prepare the necessary technical skills according to their job requirements.
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