But since completing Quick Start, Gardner has come to a worrying realization: There aren't enough semiconductor jobs to go around. The precedent is little solace for the many graduates of the Quick Start program who are stuck in limbo. In addition to no longer promising interviews with semiconductor companies, Quick Start has taken other steps to moderate candidates' expectations. Hurdles aboundBeyond short-term economics, Palmer believes there are two reasons semiconductor companies have been slow to hire, she said. In the years ahead, the artificial-intelligence boom could further boost the demand for chips and create more jobs in the semiconductor industry.

---

Persons: Collin Gardner, Gardner, Taco Bell, Taiwan's, Joe Biden, I'm, Lisa Strothers, Jacob Zinkula, Quick, Leah Palmer, who've, Palmer, Gary Burley, who's, they're, we're, It's, —, Gabriela Cruz Thompson, Biden, Gina Raimondo, he'd, hadn't, he's Organizations: Taco Bell, Business, Taco, Semiconductors, Semiconductor, Semiconductor Industry Association, Oxford Economics, Intel, Arizona Advanced Manufacturing, Mesa Community, Mesa Community College, Quick, Samsung, Bloomberg Locations: Arizona's Maricopa County, Arizona, chipmaking, China, Maricopa County, Ohio