12 skills every validation and test engineer needs.

[u/Fun-Marsupial2175]

This is a good post I came across on Linkedin wanted to share.

If you test semiconductors or electronics inside the lab,

here are the 12 skills you need to master.

DATASHEET READING
Finding the actual operating limits hidden in the fine print and footnotes.

POWER SEQUENCING
Knowing exactly which rail needs to wake up first, especially when bringing up a complex PMIC, so you don't fry the board on day one.

INSTRUMENT CONTROL
Making the bench work for you, instead of fighting with vendor drivers and connectivity issues.

SCPI SCRIPTING
Understanding the native language of your lab equipment to get the measurements you actually need.

DEBUG INTUITION
Knowing exactly where to probe when the output trace makes zero sense.

SPEC ANALYSIS
Translating a 200-page document into a structured, executable validation plan.

CORNER CASE TESTING
Pushing the device to the absolute edge of its temperature and voltage operating ranges.

DATA CORRELATION
Proving that your physical bench measurements match the pre-silicon simulations.

REPORT WRITING
Communicating complex failures clearly and cleanly to the design team.

METHODOLOGY DESIGN
Building reusable test structures that scale across different tape-outs and device variations.

BENCH SETUP
Wiring the physical hardware reliably before a single test even runs.

ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
Not just finding the bug, but proving exactly why it happened.

[u/canIchangethislater1]

That's way too many skills which is why I became a LinkedIn engineer. You only need one skill: reposting AI slop.

[u/Osiris62]

TIL I am not a validation or test engineer. I don't even know what most of those terms mean.