Electrical engineering thread!

[Horny Toad]

I'm not an engineer, but I'm a member of the IEEE

We've got plenty of non-engineer members.

 

[lowendfriend]

Got my MSEE last year with a focus in control systems, but right now I'm working in communications with some pcb design on the side.

Have you tried using indeed.com for internships? They're a pretty good search engine for jobs/internships. If you're an IEEE member you can use their website to search for jobs too.

Hey a "poles and zeros" man!!

Linear systems and control systems were always my fav's.

They were both very useful in the radar business...also the "way back machine" experience I had with computer architectures (IBM 360, PDP-8's and 11's) got me into the software business at its "ground floor". I even did a 3 year stint as a business unit CIO.

EE is a great degree....it's not just the mechanics of electronic design, but a more natural background to systems engineering...that's where the impact really is in many respects. That's also a great launching point for program and business management as well.

EE's think different....embrace nerdness!!

 

[Popbumper]

BSEET here (1993) - have had a number of positions as component engineer and manufacturing engineer, primarily in a new product devlopment/integration role. Also worked at Texas Instruments for eight years as a program manager/test engineer/PCBA developer.

Chris

Poles and zeroes....awesome.

 

[WashburnBasser]

Got my MSEE last year with a focus in control systems, but right now I'm working in communications with some pcb design on the side.

Have you tried using indeed.com for internships? They're a pretty good search engine for jobs/internships. If you're an IEEE member you can use their website to search for jobs too.

I'll check out indeed, thanks

 

[WashburnBasser]

I graduated with a B. Eng in 2005 at 33. I decided to go back to school after 8 years of working as a touring sound engineer/technician. In school I did mostly power systems related stuff but since I've graduated I've been working in electronics, including several years designing audio equipment for a small manufacturer of hifi gear, which has since gone under. I'm currently a hardware designer for one of the big manufacturers of programmable logic devices. I do board design for high end telecom FPGAs, IP core validation and hardware support for customers.

How was working for an audio company? Designing audio gear is one of the reasons I got into this major and electronics in general. I applied for an internship at Bose, not sure that's going to work out though.

So if I got you right, you work for a company like Altera? I've done some programming on their FPGA type chips for school.

 

[Mark Reccord]

How was working for an audio company? Designing audio gear is one of the reasons I got into this major and electronics in general. I applied for an internship at Bose, not sure that's going to work out though.

So if I got you right, you work for a company like Altera? I've done some programming on their FPGA type chips for school.

Audio was really fun and is very dear to my heart. I still do audio design on the side for my own satisfaction. Maybe one day I'll parlay that into a way to make a living once again. I hope you get your internship! One of Bose's engineers used to post here under the name boseengineer or something similar. Maybe it was on Harmony Central? Can't remember.

Yes... uh, a company "like" Altera...

 

[lowendfriend]

The trouble with audio roles is that the business is not huge and it is highly fragmented and dominated by a few players.

That's why Defense electronics offers great salaries is that there are huge and difficult problems to solve and Uncle Sam's deep pockets. The technology is mind-blowing. Benefits are unparalleled.

Keep in mind that the number of graduating engineers is dropping like a rock. I don't think you can do better with a four year degree than EE, but you have to play the hand dealt.

My entire college education cost me less than 6 grand in 68-72 dollars. I retired in mid/upper 6 figures per year. Even if you stay in the tech side of the business, you would do a third of that.

EE and a PhD in Molecular medicine.....two paths to fun and security.

 

[fredguy]

Zoomass ahhh good times.
I graduated with a BSEE from UMass. Worked as an applications engineer and then a design engineer making microwave diodes. Took a 6 month leave of absence to ski that turned into 3 years due to the recession of the early 90s. Found a research job making MEMs devices and sensors for a variety of robotic and medical applications. Left that for a couple of years to work on a making high powered visible lasers for a laser projection system before I returned to the MEMs/ robotic research group I'd left to make lasers.

I used my new found optics knowledge to make a variety of imaging systems, including what I believe is still the worlds smallest camera, that are used in a number of robotic applications. I've had the most fun, and received most of my patents, combining ideas from electrical, optical, and mechanical engineering.

An added benefit of 20 years of research engineering is that there are very few mornings I need to be at work at 8. Made for lots of easy morning half day ski excursions,