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chever
'Mud'
Joined: Aug 22, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 1668
Location: Earth
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 Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:16 am Post subject: electrical engineering |
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I'm glad I plan things out in advance: after months with my eyes fixed firmly on the goal of an MS in Applied Mathematics, I very abruptly changed course and now I'd rather do an MS in Electrical Engineering. Various reasons:
- I want to diversify and do something that I'm not used to. Computers? Old.
- I want to have expertise in a physical science. I realized that I don't hate physics; I just hate kinematics. In electrical engineering, you never see questions that start "Consider a spherical horse moving in simple harmonic motion ..."
- Electrical engineering appears to draw upon more different mathematics than some of the other 'engineerings': in addition to the standard calculus / linear algebra / prob. stats combination, there's also graph theory and formal logic, which is exciting because I really like graph theory and formal logic.
- I want to be able to kick something substantial if I get frustrated, and maybe execute some action figures.
- Reliable data from my brosephs and brosephinas say that the country I intend to live in has a pretty severe electrical engineering shortage.
- I can learn (and indeed am learning) about applied math subjects such as linear programming on my own, and I don't need a license to practice them anywhere.
- Last, I want to have a legitimate reason to worship Thor.
I've had on-off interest in electronics since I was in middle school, but it was never a lot. Now I am reading about circuits from the very beginning and I'm glad to say that pretty much everything is 'clicking'. The only major difficulty has actually been reference directions messing me up sometimes, but I'm getting used to the 'associated' convention plus the idea of positive charge flowing out of the current sources. (I'd rather imagine electrons coming out the other end, like water or oil.)
Currently I am in school to complete a BS in Computer Science, so none of my courses have really been a 'waste' e.g., I would have had to take the basic calc sequence plus diff eq's anyway. I can change course now easily. But I am looking for ideas. In particular, what should I study after I feel like I've learned enough about analog circuits?
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DNForrest
Toucan
Joined: Jan 19, 2008
Age: 24
Posts: 278
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 4:38 am Post subject: |
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Excellent choice, I've always liked Electrical Engineering, the university I went to required us to take an Intro To Electrical Engineering course. It had one of my favorite professors in the school, he actually got in trouble for ragging on Civil Engineers all the time. While I don't have much experience with the higher-level classes, the math required isn't much of anything as compared to the entry-level Chemical and Mechanical Engineering classes, but be prepared to deal with a lot of step-functions.
Any career paths in mind? At the Engineering Career Fair here the two biggest company sectors looking for EEs were microchip/computer companies (HP, Wafertech, ON Semiconductors, Intel, etc.) and weapons development companies (you'd be designing the circuitry in missiles).
Last edited by DNForrest on Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:19 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Psimulus
Sea Gull
Joined: Aug 23, 2008
Posts: 227
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:16 am Post subject: |
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I support you whole heartedly chever.
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Pobodys_Nerfect
Velociraptor
Joined: Mar 11, 2008
Posts: 414
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 5:17 am Post subject: |
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| I agree. Have you done control engineering yet, Laplace transform? |
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chever
'Mud'
Joined: Aug 22, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 1668
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 9:40 am Post subject: |
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| DNForrest wrote: | | Any career paths in mind? At the Engineering Career Fair here the two biggest company sectors looking for EEs were microchip/computer companies (HP, Wafertech, ON Semiconductors, Intel, etc.) and weapons development companies (you'd be designing the circuitry in missiles). |
I'll be in a different country so I have no idea tbh
| Pobodys_Nerfect wrote: | | I agree. Have you done control engineering yet, Laplace transform? |
No, I only started a few days ago, informally. I have yet to take a formal EE class. But I would like to read about the Laplace (and Fourier) transform in detail since they are also used in software a lot, too, for, e.g., image processing.
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lau
Quinquaginta Novem! Male Gee-knee-us + silly bits.
Joined: Jun 18, 2006
Age: 59
Posts: 7448
Location: Somerset UK
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:38 pm Post subject: |
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And why not...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walsh_functions
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ValMikeSmith
Velociraptor
Joined: May 19, 2008
Posts: 488
Location: Stranger in a strange land
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:46 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | I am looking for ideas. In particular, what should I study after I feel like I've learned enough about analog circuits? |
Maybe radio. And microcontrollers.
Electronics is my Autistic Savant ability. Never took a course in it. Been doing it all my life.
FYI:
PROPELLER: NEW Easy Fun Inexpensive 8-core Microcontroller;what can't it do? |
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chever
'Mud'
Joined: Aug 22, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 1668
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 1:50 pm Post subject: |
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PLC's look interesting ... of course I'll have to buy one.
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DNForrest
Toucan
Joined: Jan 19, 2008
Age: 24
Posts: 278
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 7:04 pm Post subject: |
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One class in particular I'd advise taking, if your school has it, is an Instrumentation class. Pretty much based entirely around how the measurement devices work, rather than the usual lab work learning of instruments by "Press this button to turn it on, put your sample here, press this button, and here's where your results come out". Companies like people that know a lot of the specifics involving these devices (HPLCs, SEMs, Ellipsometers, etc.). Sure you can learn how they work on Wikipedia, but it's an easy class in which to get an A and companies like to see proof that you've learned how they work.
It would be a good idea to learn about the big companies in the area you're planning to move to, then take classes that would coincide with it. Another good class to take would be one on Thin Films processes (if they offer them to EEs there), since it would be good to know how microelectronics are built, rather than just knowing how to design them. Electrical Engineers design the layout, while Chemical Engineers are usually the ones that design the processes of making the layout (I was one class short of a Microelectronics option, did some work in a few of the EE labs). The wider you spread your knowledge, the more likely companies will want you for management (engineers are typically put into management after 5-10 years of working as engineers).
And finally, make damn sure you get an internship after your first year of EE classes and every summer break that follows, makes it so much easier to get a job after you graduate.
Where is it you do plan on moving for work? The Fall Engineering Career Fair here is in a few weeks, I can see if any companies are hiring EEs in the location. |
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chever
'Mud'
Joined: Aug 22, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 1668
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 8:58 pm Post subject: |
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| DNForrest wrote: | | One class in particular I'd advise taking, if your school has it, is an Instrumentation class. |
Noted...
| DNForrest wrote: | | The wider you spread your knowledge, the more likely companies will want you for management (engineers are typically put into management after 5-10 years of working as engineers). |
Well, the way I want to gain an advantage is by continuing to study my two other fields (that I know more about anyway) and apply them to EE. For instance, I can write fairly complex software on my own very well now, which is another skill in demand. I also have a marked interest in several EE-related math fields which goes beyond most curriculum requirements. I feel that the major advantages I will be able to offer are that I can do, or will be able to do a variety of tasks, will be able to analyze problems from more than one perspective, and am motivated to learn new things all the time. Mainly outside of school, in fact.
| DNForrest wrote: | | Where is it you do plan on moving for work? |
Northeast Thailand. Fortunately, I find networking with Asians relatively easy compared with networking with other Americans. The essential thing is to know people who know people. Actually, one of my bros is a business major and would take me under his wing himself...
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Pobodys_Nerfect
Velociraptor
Joined: Mar 11, 2008
Posts: 414
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| Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2008 11:15 pm Post subject: |
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Just curious. When designing/analyzing circuits, do you imagine the electron flow or the conventional way? |
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ValMikeSmith
Velociraptor
Joined: May 19, 2008
Posts: 488
Location: Stranger in a strange land
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 5:38 am Post subject: |
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| Quote: | | Just curious. When designing/analyzing circuits, do you imagine the electron flow or the conventional way? |
Like AC, "it" (power or signal) "goes" from source to load, or from input to output. |
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chever
'Mud'
Joined: Aug 22, 2008
Age: 20
Posts: 1668
Location: Earth
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 11:12 am Post subject: |
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That would be the 'conventional' way. I take it you use the associated or passive reference direction scheme too i.e., power 'consumed' by a source is negative; power consumed by a load is positive.
I'd rather look at things the other way, but nearly every text uses the conventional scheme, so I 'go with the flow', so to speak.
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0_equals_true
Quack!
Joined: Apr 06, 2007
Age: 26
Posts: 5005
Location: London
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 12:02 pm Post subject: |
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| I enjoyed mechatronics / embedded systems. I did not enjoy trying to put it all into the container. Rule of thumb: consider the size container you need and triple. I also didn't enjoy fighting over the small number of chip emulators (understatement). I hope your university has enough equipment to go round. The coding was satisfying. |
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yesplease
Velociraptor
Joined: Dec 29, 2006
Age: 102
Posts: 434
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| Posted: Fri Oct 03, 2008 1:53 pm Post subject: |
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| I got out of EE because there wasn't enough interesting stuff, in other words math. To put stuff into perspective, there wre two engineers in my undergrad analysis class, one getting a MS. in EE and another who had (?) a PhD in CE, so I wouldn't take math off the plate if you're interested in EE. If anything, I suggest a double major, EE/pure math, if you think you can do it. That'll give you a significant advantage in terms of the job market and graduate stuff. |
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