What is a firmware engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Brian Glas

A firmware engineer designs and develops software that runs on computer hardware devices. Firmware engineers program microcontrollers, embed systems, and manage hardware that requires low-level software. They work with hardware engineers to develop firmware for specific devices and applications. Firmware engineers use C and assembly language to write code. They also test and debug firmware to meet performance and quality standards. A firmware engineer ensures the successful operation of hardware devices.

What general advice would you give to a Firmware Engineer?

Brian Glas

Assistant Professor of Computer Science, Union University

Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.

ScoreFirmware EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.5

Avg. Salary $97,183

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

4.7

Growth Rate 21%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.0

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 31.58%

Black or African American 4.63%

Hispanic or Latino 8.40%

Unknown 4.86%

White 50.36%

Gender

female 11.62%

male 88.38%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress Level

4.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

6.8

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Firmware Engineer?

Pros

High demand for firmware engineers in various industries
Potential for high salary and job stability
Ability to work remotely or on a flexible schedule
Chance to work with interdisciplinary teams
Potential for career growth and advancement

Cons

High-pressure job with tight deadlines and demanding clients or stakeholders
Can be stressful and require long hours of intense concentration
Can be isolating or require long periods of solitary work
May require working on complex projects that have a high risk of failure or error
May require extensive testing and debugging, which can be tedious and time-consuming

Key steps to become a firmware engineer

Explore firmware engineer education requirements

Most common firmware engineer degrees

Bachelor's

70.4 %

Master's

23.2 %

Associate

3.6 %

Start to develop specific firmware engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	6.47%
C	4.89%
C++	4.89%
Debugging	4.79%
SPI	4.65%

Complete relevant firmware engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New firmware engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a firmware engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real firmware engineer resumes.

Research firmware engineer duties and responsibilities

Use of python to automate code generation and communicate over Wi-Fi with several printers.
Manage firmware of automate bench top devices that utilize a microprocessor.
Design and develop Linux device drivers for hardware components: I2C, GPIO, UART/RS-485, Ethernet, and J1708.
Develop display tool using ARM7, SPI, UART and PC hyper-terminal program.

Prepare your firmware engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your firmware engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a firmware engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Firmware Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Firmware Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Firmware Engineer resume.

Apply for firmware engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a firmware engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do firmware engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Firmware Engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Jul 2023

Pros

Developing new technologies and working with both hardware and software

Cons

Unrealistic demands from management and the job markets ups and downs