How to proceed now that I am a senior in school?

[prophoss]

I am at a bit of a crossroads, or that is the way I feel. I am attending school working on an engineering technologies in computers bachelor degree at an ABET accredited university. I am looking around at different internships and entry level jobs. There is a nice variety around my area of north Texas available too. Most of what I have found is either along the line of electrical engineering or junior developer in various languages. There are a few embedded and even FPGA jobs or internships that I have found. To speak plainly my passion is toward the embedded and FPGA kind of jobs. I have spent a lot of time on my own attempting to learn to program in C and VHDL(I just like that one better) and keeping up with my job and homework. My classes have actually spent very little time in either of these areas or at least not as much as I would like. I have had a nice well rounded education in quite a few things from C++, java, python, database, and even some microprocessor architecture, one of my favorites so far. That makes me feel like I have a lot of good basic knowledge in a lot of things but nothing in depth in any one thing. When I go to look at possible jobs I tend to feel inadequate and not entirely sure I am qualified. I am older and would prefer to be well versed in a few things rather than have a basic grounding in everything. I am sure that a generalist approach will serve me just fine in the long run and I do love all that I am learning so no real complaint there. In my mind I really really want to become an ... embedded or FPGA engineer type person, but that seems like something I have not been properly educated for. Maybe its a bit to specialized and I am expecting too much but that is what I want to do. I have a few small projects but to me they seem unimpressive, and I don't have much time with working a fulltime job and  going to school, halftime at the moment, and having some time to spend with my wife since I do not wish to get divorced. Yeah it's tough and yeah I'm whining a bit but I am also frustrated and a bit depressed. I come here looking for "wise" counsel and to vent a bit. If you have some advice or maybe a word of comfort it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[tszaboo]

If you apply for a junior (or junior level) position, you learn on the job.
Nobody will expect you to know everything, and senior engineers will do the onboarding, teach you the tricks of the software and how companies work. Chill out its fine not to know everything. And to make mistakes.

[rstofer]

A college education is almost always 'general' because of the breadth of the field.  About the best you can hope for is some familiarization with the topic, whatever it is.

I would encourage you to go to grad school where you can focus on the topics of interest.  Yes, I do know how tough it is to work 40-60 hours a week, go to school 5 nights a week and support a family for four long years.  And then double down for another year of grad school.  I know exactly how tough it is.

You will be amazed at the difference in opportunities once you get an MSEE.  Even if it's not specifically relevant to your current job, it just looks impressive on your resume'.

I wish I thought EE had a future but I don't.  Go over to www.bls.gov, they have some interesting statistics:

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm

Here is the same info for Software Developer.  Compare the figures.

https://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/software-developers.htm

In my view, it's easier to get a job when a) there are a lot of jobs and b) employment outlook is high.  Not only do software developers make more money, job growth is a lot higher.  Spend time at the BLS site.  Compare job opportunities and salary by location.  Silicon Valley may pay well but you might not be able to afford living there.

Here's another hint:  Pick a job that requires you to put YOUR hands on the product.  It's harder to outsource to India.

[ataradov]

No university/college gives you enough practical information or knowledge. It is not really the point and they can't realistically do that. Things change too much in real world, even if today you learn the most up to date stuff, 5 years from now, it will all be irrelevant and you will have to figure out new stuff.

What you need to get from the  education is fundamentals, like math, physics, control systems.

I would be careful picking a job just based on the income. You may get stuck in a soul killing world of web development or some other nightmare like that. Just figure out how to make enough money doing what you like to do, life is much better this way.

[tggzzz]

The OP will learn a lot if they speed read this old novella: https://www.inf.ufpr.br/renato/profession.html I found it very valuable in shaping my career.

They would do well to understand the concept of "paragraphs"; using them will stop people ignoring impenetrable walls of text.

[IanB]

To add to what was said above, you are not expected to be an expert in anything when you first graduate from college. On the contrary, you would be expected to join your first job as a trainee, where you will spend the first year or three getting a comprehensive foundation in the industry and business of your employer.

It is important to apply for jobs that interest you, not jobs that you feel qualified for. On the contrary, if your prospective employer does not offer to train you, you should consider looking elsewhere.

It could be worth getting an MSEE to broaden your appeal, but I should also mention the possibility of studying for an MS part time while employed. I know my employer supports people doing that.

[westfw]

you are not expected to be an expert in anything when you first graduate from college.

In my experience, a fresh graduate would do better in a company with a relatively "large" department doing the things they are interested in, the better to find mentors for how things work in the real world and so on.  There used to be a relatively significant set of big companies that were specifically prepared to hire "new graduates" and bring them up to speed and usefulness (HP, DEC, IBM, ...)  I'm not sure that those still exist (certainly watch for any "job fair" type things, and utilize any placement assistance provided by your school.)

One problem with "embedded and FPGA" stuff is that they tend to be rather specialized fields, so even a relatively large company may not have that significant group of people to do the mentoring, or the "luxury" of being able to hire fresh graduates without much real experience.  ("We want someone who can implement a 64bit RISC-V processor on a GreenPak FPGA, RIGHT NOW.")

[Terry Bites]

I studied electrical engineering- they said electronics was something I'd just pick up. And I did.

[rstofer]

With 'remote learning', the opportunity for a post-grad degree is much improved.  It seems just about every university is offering some kind of remote program.  The reasons:  COVID was the impetus, a new revenue stream was the icing on the cake.  The university doesn't even need to see the student (ever) and the money keeps right on coming.

Don't expect a tuition discount for remote learning, the universities I know about are charging full price.

[rstofer]

One problem with "embedded and FPGA" stuff is that they tend to be rather specialized fields, so even a relatively large company may not have that significant group of people to do the mentoring, or the "luxury" of being able to hire fresh graduates without much real experience.  ("We want someone who can implement a 64bit RISC-V processor on a GreenPak FPGA, RIGHT NOW.")

Or, find a job with a defense contractor.

[Millielewis]

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[wizard69]

This is an interesting post but you do realize that you will have to look inside to find the right answer for you.

A little back ground, I spent a great deal of time in my early years, going to "night" school.   In the end I got a 2 year degree in electromechnical technology with a lot of computer science class to fill in.   This was while working 50-60 hours a week, lets just say it wasn't easy.   To preserve my mental health I stopped going after that 2 year degree came in.   I have to admit that sometimes I wish I did pursue a 4 year degree, but that simply wasn't going to happen working full time.

Here is the thing, there isn't a college program out there the leaves you fully prepared for your first job.  Jobs, if you want to be any good, involve learning for the rest of your life.   An engineering degree just gets you started.   You have to seriously consider just how far the industry has come in just one generation of workers.   There is no way that you can remain relevant in this industry without keeping up with technology.   A good employer will encourage this and help you succeed in areas you are interested.   They also may through you at things you have no interest in.

By the way be prepared to have to make job changes to keep focused on your goals.   This especially if you are in a large organization that goes through constant management changes.   Sometimes priorities change at companies and they  don't align with yours, worse those priorities are some times set my new idiots (managers) to the business.   The point is if you are have specific interests you may need to spend some time looking for the right fit after you enter industry.

[tggzzz]

That's good, sensible advice in the preceding posts.

I'll add that you should consider what might happen if your current job disappears for any reason. It is helpful to keep your skills up to date, choosing skills that other employers might want. Often that is best done in your own time, and that looks good to a new employer.