The printed circuit board (PCB) has become an important part in a large percentage of electronic devices. Such devices include televisions, computers, smart watches and more. We have also witnessed the world changing every now and then in terms of innovation. We are living in an era with the future of the young depending on the type of career they pursue. A number of young people pursue a job for passion; others go into it for money. However, it is good to understand the inside out of a career while following your passion. Know what the career is all about, the working conditions you are going to be facing, and much more.
Electronic engineering is an impressive choice for a career. However, this career path suits those who are electronics enthusiasts. In the electronic engineering field, you deal with electronic devices, circuits, systems and equipment associated with them. Before choosing this career path, you must answer the following questions. What is electronic engineering all about? Is it entirely about electronics? And what is the scope of pursuing this career?
Electronic Engineering in a Nutshell
Electronic engineering is a field associated with various electronic devices & circuits plus the systems and equipment that utilize them. Many people choosing this career path find their jobs exciting. Moreover, this career path provides an intriguing challenge that makes it even more interesting.
Generally, electronics engineering involves a lot of creativity. You will realize that the entire area of electronics engineering involves running, making, designing, and serving electronics that consumers need.
Electronics engineering has a broad scope involving multiple areas you can choose to explore. Therefore, if you want to pursue a career in this spectrum, you can select the one that suits you. Since most career paths that branch from electronics engineering relate to each other, you can easily shift from one career to another. That ensures you are always comfortable in the area you are handling.
Fields under Electronic Engineering
When someone asks you, “what exactly is electronics engineering?” you should put a lot of things into consideration to give them an accurate answer. That is because electronic engineering involves multiple disciplines and fields, making it challenging to explain as one general topic.
Typically, most electronic engineers select a particular field under electronics engineering and then specialize in it, which means that you can choose a specific discipline or area that you like and then try to master it with time. Eventually, you become an electronics engineer, but one who specializes in a particular field.
Some of the most popular fields under electronics engineering include:
Radio Frequency Engineering
RFE, or radio frequency engineering, has become a pretty popular career for many electronics enthusiasts. Moreover, since in the 21st century, most systems are utilizing wireless links, for example, IoT, Wifi, phone, and more, wireless tech and short-range links are gaining demand, making this career very marketable.
Additionally, radio frequency designing, a skill you gain in radio frequency engineering, is also becoming pretty popular, which gives this career more points as being a great career choice in the 21st century.
Analogue Electronics Engineering
AEE, or analog electronics engineering, is a significant sector that falls under the electronics engineering spectrum. With so many analog components still being required, it is evident that analog circuits are not a thing of the past. And even though analog engineering isn’t as great as it was earlier, before the digital electronics take over, the immense growth in the electronics market means there is room for both digital and analog. Therefore, AEE can offer a great working environment. Moreover, with time you can master the skills of analog engineering and build a great career out of it.
Digital Development Engineering
Most modern functionalities are now carried out using digital methods. Moreover, since they hit the market, digital circuits have become pretty popular due to their efficiency. However, other than digital circuits being efficient, this also means that the electronics market also needs more logic/digital electronic engineers. But even though the digital electronics market is booming, the demand for engineers in this area is lower than most people anticipate. The reason behind this is that most modern-day logic circuits are accomplished using logic chips that are programmable.
Programmable Logic Engineering
In the era that we are living in right now, most manufacturers have moved from analog to digital in terms of the products that they are producing. However, digital/logic-based circuits which are utilized to generate digital electronics are pretty complex. Moreover, FPGAs and other programmable digital/logic circuits are increasingly being used, enabling manufacturers to incorporate significant amounts of logic into various programmable chips. Additionally, by utilizing high-level design languages such as VHDL, technicians are able to bring the complex design within more manageable limits. Moreover, if these designs need changing or optimizing, technicians can achieve this by altering the logic program.
Due to the shift from analog to digital, this field which is also under electronic engineering, is growing rapidly. Moreover, the tools that technicians utilize in this field are also becoming more sophisticated and hence more interesting to handle. Therefore, programmable logic engineering can, without a doubt, offer a pretty stimulating and interesting career.
Software Engineering
If you are an electronics enthusiast, you have probably noted that most modern-day electronic products are coming bearing software programs integrated into their systems. These software programs help them function accordingly. For example, LED lights are programmed to light up in a specific order.
However, due to this software-electronics relationship, the electronic market is in dire need of software engineers who are coming in handy in most electronics projects. Moreover, about two-thirds of the total budget goes to creating the product’s software during the production of electronics products. That indicates just how crucial software products have become to the electronics industry, which also translates to how treasured software engineers are in this industry. Therefore, software engineering is an excellent career in electronics engineering.
Systems Engineering
During the designing process of any product, the skill of a system engineer comes in handy. In the electronics engineering industry, systems are simply complete objects. That might include:
- Mobile phones
- Radio receiver
- Or it might even be a device that incorporates more than one element.
Therefore under electronics engineering, a system engineer looks at complete systems and objects which consist of more minor elements. Therefore, when choosing a system engineer career, you should be ready to handle everything from simple circuit boards to complex units. Moreover, you will be required to check on how the entire system is functioning and to ensure that it is operating correctly. Additionally, you will have to ensure that the whole system works in a manner that satisfies the user’s requirements. Lastly, the system engineer is supposed to ensure that the product is thoroughly tested.
Great system engineers tend to be in high demand. Therefore, if you are interested in this area, you should pursue it. Then, with determination, you can build an impeccable career out of this.
These are the most popular niche areas that fall under the spectrum of electronics engineering. However, this does not mean that these are the only careers you can pursue in electronics engineering. There are other niche areas which include:
- Quality assurance
- Risk management
- Reliability engineering
- Component programming and so much more
All these career paths are great, and they all require the basics of electronic engineering.
While most electronic engineers tend to focus on one particular area all through, it could help if you tried to gain knowledge in more than one field. In addition, doing so will help you interface better with individuals dealing with different disciplines under the same spectrum, especially when working on various projects.
Activities within various Electronics Engineering Projects
In most cases, electronics engineering projects tend to be pretty complex. You can execute them in stages, including designing, testing, production, servicing, etc.
There are so many activities involved in an electronics engineering project. These activities are both captivating and interesting, and they can offer an interesting and stimulating career.
The most common activities involved in an electronics engineering project include the following:
- Developing the initial concept design
- Carrying out a field trial on the concept design
- Generating the initial design
- Development
- Testing the design
- Production intro – which involved liaison with manufacturing departments
- Servicing the post design
- Customer liaison
- Marketing and sales support
To add to these crucial activities, electronic engineers must also figure out how other departments function. To cater to this additional skill, most electronics engineers undergo special training schemes which place them in various departments. After experiencing this training, the electronics engineers can liaise and converse better with other disciplines and departments.
These are examples of the various activities you will have to carry out on multiple projects as an electronics engineer. However, most of the time, you will find yourself stuck in a base laboratory working on an electronic project. You will sometimes have to travel to various locations to offer customer support and other services.
Conclusion
Electronics engineering is a great field that can help you push your limits and build a great career. Moreover, it is pretty broad. Therefore, you get to select the areas that fulfill your desire, such as software engineering, systems engineering, and much more. Moreover, electronics engineering is both rewarding and challenging, and it can help you build a stimulating and interesting career.
