>> But personally, I can't imagine getting hired for a job where even one 
>> of the above is useful. I mean, sure, somebody somewhere designs ICs 
>> for a living.
> 
> Several people in my department have designed ICs at some point or 
> another, for LCD drivers or just general stuff for test equipment.  I 
> imagine a lot of electrical engineering jobs elsewhere require such 
> skills without being solely an "IC designer".
> 
>> And somebody, somewhere else, designs bridges. Have *you* ever met a 
>> bridge designer??
> 
> Yes, several, although having done an engineering degree probably helps 
> to meet them :-)
> 
> The point is that mostly you don't recruit a "bridge designer" or an "IC 
> designer", you want a structural engineer or an electrical engineer.  
> Being able to design bridges or ICs is just one of the skills you need 
> them to possess in order to do their job.

Of course, when I think about designing ICs, I'm thinking strictly about 
purely digital "logic" devices such as microprocessors or crypto units. 
There are of course other types...

My point is, it seems almost unimaginable to me that real people 
actually get hired to do technical jobs such as these. It's the 
equivilent of being a world-class violinist. Sure, such people must 
exist somewhere, but you're never going to meet one, and *I* will 
certainly never become one.

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