Advice for a recent graduate

[Auburnate]

I have been lurking in the forums for some time now, and I am really impressed by the breadth and depth of the engineering knowledge the posts reflect. I graduated in 2003 with EE and 2005 with MSEE. I have been professionally employed as a electrical design engineer for nearly two years at the same company. I consider my strengths to be embedded systems. I'm comfortable with assembly level coding of PICs and MSP430 line, but I'm not sure I want to be a "programmer" for my career. I would like to ask the members a few general questions.

How can I learn all the things you know?
What can I do advance my career?
Is it better to specialize in a particular field of EE or be a jack-of-all-trades?
Any tips, books, ideas, words of wisdom or warning.

Much appreciated,
Nate

 

[Zogzog]

I think specialized is the way to go. Find something you are interested in and there is a demand for. I can tell you there is a large demand for relay engineers in the power distribution field.

 

[IRstuff]

How can I learn all the things you know?
>> By doing

What can I do advance my career?
>> Find out what your passion is. No passion-->no performance-->no advancement

Is it better to specialize in a particular field of EE or be a jack-of-all-trades?
>> see above

Any tips, books, ideas, words of wisdom or warning.
>> see above


TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[MacGyverS2000]

"Specialization" can also mean a number of things. For example, one company may consider me a specialist by simply being an embedded software/firmware engineer while another may consider me a specialist due to my heavy background in DSP-based video/imaging... the former is obviously more general than the latter, but I can generally write better/tighter code for DSPs and related architectures than someone who is used to programming generic microcontrollers. I have specialized in embedded software, specialized even more into DSP-based architectures, still even more into video/imaging on those architectures. In addition, my knowledge in video/imaging still allows me to be useful making desktop apps in the area, but they may not be as tightly coded as someone who has specialized in applications-level stuff.


As IR said, it's all about the passion... no passion and you might as well consider your current salary plus yearly cost of living raises your ceiling.

Dan - Owner

http://www.Hi-TecDesigns.com

 

[zeusfaber]

Absolutely with IRstuff on this.

One for later on: when contemplating the next step up the greasy pole (there's a mixed metaphor if ever I heard one), don't forget to ask yourself if that's the life you want to lead. Many ex-engineers I know wish they hadn't followed their ambition quite so blindly (though I also know many who are perfectly happy to have moved on).

A.

 

[Auburnate]

Regarding specialization ... I don't forsee any work on FPGAs, DSP, ASIC, i.e. cutting edge tech where I work now. I'm not sure I want to work for the company for three to five more years and only be able to say I programmed MSP430 micros.

On another note (loosely connected),

The company I work for is willing to pay me to go back to school (nights) and get an MBA. I feel like I am at a crossroads in my life and my career. Is an MBA something I should pursue ( I love learning, more opportunities for me,) or should I take my EE degree and MSEE degree and go the technical route? Has anyone here experienced anything similiar?

Regards,
Nate

 

[logbook]

>Any tips, books, ideas, words of wisdom or warning.

http://www.logbook.freeserve.co.uk/seekrets/index.html

but then I am somewhat biassed on the subject!

Specialising at your age is very dangerous. In my nearly 30 years in the job I have done a lot of stuff I never expected to be doing when at college. The job evolves with time, and being electronics the pace is not slow.

When I was at college they were teaching us to make logic circuits using the minimum number of 2 input NAND gates. Now I write in VHDL and couldn't much care how the synthesis tool creates a 20 bit synchronous counter. I have recently been coding up PIC chips and have now started using a rabbit TCP core. That's not bad for an analog designer specialising in low noise and high bandwidth systems!

 

[zappedagain]

Nice booklog (he he!).

I also agree with IRStuff. Follow your passion. My passion is (was? - uh oh, mid-life crisis coming on...) to design electronics and keep learning new things. That led me from software design to digital design to analog design to RF design. Over the years I keep bouncing back to all these areas depending upon the needs of an employer.

Luckily design has been my passion, because the enjoyment I get from the 10% of my effort that goes toward design allows me to put up with the other 90% of 'engineering' garbage that I have to do over the course of a year.

If you want the MBA don't wait too long; the more 'real world' experience you get the harder it is to get back in the classroom. An MBA won't hurt your engineering, and may open up management opportunities (I've avoided them like the plague, thank you, but a colleague has done quite well with his MBA and is now leading an engineering team). Good luck on your decision.

 

[IRstuff]

Even in the case of the MBA, it should be a question of whether you will actually enjoy doing what the MBA allows you to do. Like some others, I've never found being a lead to be that interesting. You might feel otherwise, in which case, you should follow that road.

Again, you need to find the path that will not become a drudgery, something that will get you out of bed 15 or 20 yrs from now.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[zeitghost]

Don't do what I did & become the company specialist in using & programming in-house test equipment... not exactly transferrable skills... )

 

[itsmoked]

Ouch zeitghost!

My EM prof sat us all down on the last day of class and gave us The Word. He taught us that you need to be careful about where you find yourself as extricating yourself can be very hard. He gave testing as an example. He said if you find yourself labeled as a Test Engineer if can be dang near impossible to escape that realm. Course if you like it that's fine.

In the same vein if you get an MBA and find yourself a "manager" it can be very hard to return to hands on stuff.

Auburnate; Seems to me you've been a bookworm a whole lot lately, you need to actually do more applied stuff. If you aren't enjoying where you're at, find another job. It's not too hard, as you're presently employed, which makes shifting jobs much easier.

Keith Cress
Flamin Systems, Inc.-

http://www.flaminsystems.com

 

[pooslinger]

Being an engineer dose not have to mean sitting behind a desk and making things on paper. I had jobs like that and I was board to death. I didn't go out into the facility because I was an "engineer" and I actually thought I was above the blue-collar guys twisting screwdrivers. I new the books stuff but had to experience. Until I swallowed my pride and went out into the plant and learned from electricians and instrument technicians, I had no idea what I didn't know. I have now found myself running the automation and electrical system at a Waste Water plant of all places (not glamorous) but I have never been more satisfied with the career I have chosen. I can sit behind a desk and program. And if I get board, I can get dirty and twist screwdrivers. Learn how to rebuild a substation breaker; you wouldn't believe how good that looked on s resume.

 

[Noway2]

I agree with Smoked that it sounds like you have had a lot of book learning and need to get your hands dirty. Having been out of school for a couple of years now, you are likely becoming well aware of just how different industry is from academia.

As far as your comment goes, about not wanting to be a programmer, I wouldn't sweat it too much. I graduated as an EE and my first real engineering job was doing software for embedded systems. Today, I am doing mostly hardware design and have a guy who reports to me doing the software. Where you end up will be determined by you and your choices more than anything else, not what you are doing for your first, or second, job.

Looking back on things, I also believe that my years spent programming the embedded systems gave me a perspective that overall has made me a better engineer. Having experience with both will help you avoid the scenario where the hardware guy says its a software problem and the software guy says its a hardware problem. Instead you will be able to better evaluate the system as a whole and work with it as a whole.

 

[Skogsgurra]

Getting your hands dirty is not the important thing. The important thing is that you do not avoid it. I was trained in magnetic amplifiers, vacuum tubes, transistors and electric machinery. And a lot of physics. There were also languages and some other stuff. I liked it all.

Then, the ICs came along. Analogue ones first, then digital ones. And MCUs. And thyristors and IGBTs. None of these existed when I went to school. So, I took courses, self-studied, programmed the intel 4004 and later a lot of other MCUs. Enjoyed it all the time. Did commissioning on large drives, automation, some communication. Hands dirty, loved it all.

I specialized in 3 - 5 year periods and now I am that Jack-of-all trades that I didn't want to be. And love that, too.

I do not think that you should worry too much about your career. The best thing you can do is to continue learning. And apply what you learn. Also, do not forget about food and drink, litterature and art - and people. Then you will have a good engineering (and private) life.

Gunnar Englund

http://www.gke.org

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100 % recycled posting: Electrons, ideas, finger-tips have been used over and over again...

 

[ColinScowen]

A friend of mine was once asked, 'do you want to be an expert, or a leader'. As a young grad, he plumped for Expert. Now, he thinks he should have gone the other way. Thing is, he still can.

My own experience is that as long as you can learn, and know the best way to learn for yourself, (be it doing, studying, reviewing,) then you will always be able to choose a path. Usually you will be able to find something that interests you, and you can push that back through your appraisals as a professional development path.

Colin, studied Elec Eng, now working in mech/elec/finance/project roles.