Re: Graduate/Junior FPGA Designer concerns

On Jun 20, 5:11 am, Totally_Lost <air_b...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Jun 17, 3:08 pm, freeplatypus <freeplaty...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Can anyone relate to this?
Were this studies big mistake?

People looking for making a life long job decision based on a single
skill, are likely to be strongly disappointed at some point in their
ability to get and keep a job. Serous breadth not only allows for
greater choices in initial hiring out of school (because you are
useful to employers in many different product roles) but in your
ability to work in your field for the next 60 years. All forms of
engineering (not just narrow EE roles) including materials,
mechanical, industrial, software, computer, control systems, RF and
power give you the breadth to take small project from cradle to grave
(which would otherwise require a team of a dozen or more specialists
that might well cause the product to fail as a committee camel).

You gain those skill sets by actively choosing significant diversity
in your electives, your choices for internships, your choices for part
time work in school, and your choices for part and full time work
after graduation. Specifically choosing to go to work for small
companies, is often an important job choice in your lifetime, as
smaller companies doing product development frequently need
individuals capable of successfully wearing multiple hats in a
project ... or choosing a large company where mobility between many
different product areas.

The ability to grow into effective roles as a project lead, architect
or product manager require the abilities to visualize, and understand
a broad range of skills necessary to see the product from conception
to customer ship and beyond.

If at some point you choose to start your own business or branch out
into high value consulting, the ability to understand not only the
specific technology, but the application it's being applied will be
critical to your success.

Your years at school are just the foundation for a lifelong learning
quest ... you are almost certainly never going to make a successful
living on just what you were taught at school ... except the ability
to learn any task set before you.

Find mentors everywhere you go ... in school, in life, in your family,
in your job ... talk about life skills that enabled successes, and
choices that lead to failures, and reflect on those stories in ways
that affect your life ... learn from others mistakes and failures.

As an employer, project leader, small business owner, and mentor
working with students and young engineers I've seen a common tread ...
the toughest period for every grad is the first couple jobs where
project responsibility is passed to the newbie engineer, and they have
to face the initial struggle of "I wasn't taught that in school" and
are forced to understand they MUST learn the project, and become the
expert for that product. For some that growth happens in the first
several weeks of their first job, for others it might be 3-7 years
down the road while facing some very difficult project demands and
inner reflections about ones abilities. Poor managers might miss this
allowing you to fail, better managers will make sure the right
mentoring is in place to capitalize on your personal growth.

I generally suggest looking at working for smaller engineering
companies, both while in school, and after graduation, that allow you
to expand your skills, and grow professionally in ways that avoid a
narrow dead end specialized job will only set you up for failure later
in life when there are radical changes in technology that obsolete
your narrow skill set.

Well first of all:
1. I am engaged in (high level) software development since this is the
way I can make a living during studies. Sometimes this is the only
choice (better then weekend work at supermarket).
2. I enjoy programming logic, making tests for them and creating
firmware because I can see my result in physical implementation (at
the end, there is usually a device that does something)
3. I would love to broader my knowledge, but sometime lack ideas,
because I live and work in limited environment

Second of all:
How can one specialize for senior job (those which require many years
of experience) and keep developing skills in such a broad technology
range to find employment in case given technology goes out of use?

Third, last of all:
I never thought that 5 year study are going to provide knowledge for
life long job, but concerning current situation, it seems that there
was no point in spending these 5 years in EE as there are very few job
offers for starters (this included low paid internships).

That's why I am asking. How does it look in Europe? Maybe I am looking
at wrong message boards look for a job? Almost no internships offered.
Almost no entry level jobs ( or even better, job offer for entry
engineer but with multiple years of experience - I guess that salary
is for entry).

I must be missing a big picture? If not, it seems that EE is in very
poor condition.

.

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