How to become a firmware engineer: 24 beginner jobs open today

1. Know what the work is. A firmware engineer writes the low-level code stored on a chip that starts a device and controls its hardware. Beginner postings today use titles like Firmware Engineer; Laser Firmware Intern - Summer 2027; Firmware Engineering Intern [Winter 2027]; SSD Firmware Development Engineer Intern; Firmware Engineer Intern (Spring 2027).
2. Learn the skills employers name first. In today’s 206 postings: Jira (6%).
3. Build proof you can show. Two or three results with a number, from a job, a course project or volunteer work. The kind of line a recruiter looks for: “Rebuilt the order service in Python, cutting median response time from 480 ms to 190 ms at the same traffic”.
4. Write the resume and the letter. Start from the firmware engineer resume example and the cover letter example, and replace every line with your own.
5. Apply where beginners are hired. 24 of today’s 206 open firmware engineer jobs are junior or intern roles or ask for two years of experience or less. See the open jobs and check each one with the resume match checker before you apply.

C++ (57%), Firmware (56%), Python (45%), Linux (40%), Hardware interfaces (38%), RTOS (35%), Test equipment (29%), Microcontrollers (28%), C (24%), Hardware testing (22%) of today’s 206 open firmware engineer postings name them. Learn the first three well before the rest.

The step is the level word in the job title; “No level in the title” is usually the mid-level role. After senior, people move into lead, staff or principal roles, or into managing a team. What each level means.

• Get fluent in Jira, the skill today’s postings name most, and prove it with a project you can show.
• Take one short course in the field and finish it with a project, not only a certificate.
• Keep a list of your results with numbers, updated every month: it becomes your resume lines and your interview stories.
• Find one person a few years ahead of you in this work and ask for a 20-minute talk each quarter.

• Headline: the title employers search for, then your strongest skills and one result: “Firmware Engineer | Jira | [one result with a number]”.
• About: three short paragraphs: what you do, two results with numbers, what you want next.
• Skills section: list the skills postings name, in their words: C++, Firmware, Python, Linux, Hardware interfaces.
• Open to work: set the job titles and places you want; recruiters filter by them.

Write the headline with the LinkedIn headline generator.

How much experience do firmware engineer jobs ask for?

The median in today’s postings is 5 years; 12% of the postings that name a number ask for two years or less.

Do I need a degree to become a firmware engineer?

19% of today’s 206 postings say no degree is required. Many others accept equivalent experience: read the requirements of each posting.

How much does a beginner firmware engineer earn?

Junior and intern postings for this work that state pay advertise a median of $166K a year (13 postings).

What qualifications do you need to become a firmware engineer?

Employers name skills first: Jira (6%) of today’s postings. The median posting asks for 5 years of experience. 19% say no degree is required. Few postings ask for a specific certification.

Is AI replacing firmware engineers?

Not in today’s postings: 206 firmware engineer jobs are open on Jobs Every Hour as of Nov 15, 2026, and 21% of them ask for AI or machine-learning skills, alongside Jira (6%).