I hope all of you enjoyed your holiday hiatus...I spent mine recovering from knee surgery, and except for my recovery, 2012 is shaping up quite nicely.  As for job prospects…SO FAR SO GOOD and EDA’s general health seems to be the same as well.

So we have listened to all the doomsayers try and try to convince us that nothing is going on in EDA.  Yes, nothing but record quarters and think about this my friends…Really Think About It… WE JUST HAD A BILLION DOLLAR acquisition year. Yes I realize that there are single acquisitions that that top that in related fields, but it shows that in fact, the industry is alive and things are cooking.  I’m just sayin…this is the biggest acquisition year I remember in EDA; add record breaking Sales and Profits…again I’m just sayin…So much for nothing going on in EDA! 

So on to the EDA Merger of Mergers….whoda thunk Synopsys would acquire Magma!  So, first let me start with the positive…many Magma employees, (similar to those from previous acquisitions) will go on to have long and successful careers at Synopsys.  There is no question that much of the hierarchy at Synopsys comes from previous mergers.  It will take a while for all the shakeout to occur, however it is virtually inevitable that more layoffs will occur, it has to!  This will happen in several areas as the duplicitous staffing and merging of teams, always has consequences to some on those various different teams.  Most realize that this has already started, with more to come over the coming year for sure.

Now to expand on to the flip side, dare I say the more realistic perspective?  Because of the redundancy in most areas staff reductions must occur to make this merger work financially. After all, how many AE’s do they really need.  How many SPICE, P&R, and Verification etc. Developers can they really afford?  Clearly we all know the Sales guys are always the first to go…the cream will stay, the rest already know the writing is on the wall or have left.  Marketing, well, need I say more?

So what do you do if your either at Synopsys and the Magma team is moving in like a bad step brother, or a Magmadyte getting ready to finally let big brother tell you what to do. Well like any good established family merger, you fight or you run. I feel like clearly there will be fallout from both sides.  Lets face it; there are a range of players from exceptional to well…not as exceptional.  Synopsys is smart enough to pick the best of the best, so that means both companies will lose people depending on teams needs, similar tools compatibility, team synergy, and the ability for various tools to (for a lack of a better word) blend. 

You better know your place in the company and how your expertise is perceived as you go through the iterations of your performance.  You should have some intuition on how things are going and what might be coming down the pike.  Smart money tells you if you’re feeling that something is not right, it probably is not and waiting for the hammer to fall puts you in a not so good place to start the looking process.  If your thinking that this is the time to start checking out what’s out there, then do not wait until more with your peers are all forced to do the same.

Some on both sides have also expressed concern about the enormity of the situation, meaning the size of the giant.  This can be both good and bad depending on where you are in the company and your prospects for advancement.  Remember, More people, Less advancement.  So govern yourself accordingly and do not wait for the last minute when the market is already flooded with a lot of people all looking.

The momentum for EDA is strong, that is clear.   Last year hiring was robust.  I know my company had a banner year, as did most of the many start-ups I deal with.  The majority of those I talk to feel like the trend will continue through 2012, Personally, I do not think beyond the current year.  I work in the here and now.  So to all, lets hope for a great year and may it be great for each and every one of you.