Electronics > Beginners
Uni Degree for someone interested in Arduino, programming, and electronics?
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rstofer:

--- Quote from: AG6QR on October 25, 2019, 03:06:36 am ---I'm closer to retirement than to University, but I'll give you the benefit of my experience.

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I'm 16 years into retirement!  It's been great.

--- Quote ---I expect oscilloscopes will be displaying traces, and many of those traces will be good approximations of sine waves, exponential curves, and exponentially damped sine waves.  Anyone who has taken a course in fundamentals of differential equations will know why: the solution to a first order ordinary differential equation is an exponential curve, while the solution to a second order ordinary differential equation is a sine wave.  Nature is apparently extremely fond of first- and second-order differential equations.  Engineers should become very familiar with the patterns that nature adores so much.

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And there is no better way to play with differential equations than with an analog computer.  See attached waveform for Mass-Spring-Damper problem, a second order ordinary differential equation with an initial Y value of +1.  You can see the exponential decaying envelope with the cos() waveform.  Just exactly what we suspect.  The RLC circuit has a similar equation.

Nobody in their right mind is still playing with analog computing except for those that do.  Lacking such a machine, it is really easy to do the same kind of thing with MATLAB and SimuLink.  You simply plunk down integrators, summers and constant values and hit the Run button.

The DE class was truly grim back in the days of slide rules.  Every explanation started with "assume the solution is of the form ...".  If I was smart enough to make the correct assumption, I wouldn't need the course. Now that I have had the time and tools to play with DEs, it starts to make perfect sense.  Of course "the solution is of the form ...".

Today, this would all be a lot of fun.  Taking classes at night while working 40-60 hours per week was not an easy path.  That's why the "retired engineer fund" is paying my grandson's tuition and books.  He lives across the street from the University, how tough can it be to get there, ready to learn.

Don't pay much attention to the patch cords.  There are two separate problems patched:  The Mass-Spring-Damper problem and the Swinging-Door-In-Restaurant (the swinging door that leads to the kitchen area) problem.

Yes, I have too much time on my hands!
rstofer:

--- Quote from: capt bullshot on October 24, 2019, 11:37:16 am ---So, if you're wlling to learn hard theory and want to achieve a quite universal starting point into your career, I'd recommend the equivalent to our rather universal E(lectric) Engineer (Master) degree, this gives you a wider range of general fields to work, maybe somewhat better payment at your first employment
Otherwise the more specialized and less theoretical but also less general Electronics Engineer might give you easier access to more specialized jobs.

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Immediately after the MSEE program, sign up for an MBA program.  There is no doubt that with an post-grad engineering degree, you will meet the entrance requirement for B school.  Then, with MSEE and MBA in hand, skip the engineering bit altogether and run engineering departments.  It pays better.  If you want to tinker, do it on your own time.

Remember, it's a job.  If it was fun, they wouldn't have to pay you to do it.  As an engineer, it is almost universally true that you won't get to pick and choose what you work on.  Somebody with an MBA is going to make that decision.
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