2 answers
Tim
Student
Sugar Land, Texas
1
Question
Asked
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How do I break into embedded systems and robotics as a computer engineering student with no professional experience yet?
I am an incoming freshman studying Computer Engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, with a focus on embedded systems and robotics. I taught myself C++ outside of class and have a Python certification, but I have no internship or research experience yet. What should I prioritize in my first year to make myself competitive for internships in this field? Are there specific projects, clubs, or skills I should focus on early? #Spring26
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2 answers
Kumar Rishav
Engineer
4
Answers
Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Updated
Kumar’s Answer
Hi Tim,
Start by prioritizing bare-metal development and hardware-software co-design. Transition your C++ knowledge to low-level C to master microcontroller architectures (like ARM Cortex-M), interrupts, timers, and hardware protocols (SPI, I2C, UART).
Buy an STM32 development board and build an autonomous system using FreeRTOS. I am not sure but at UT Austin, if you have clubs/societies or groups related to it then join those high-caliber engineering orgs. I see there are some groups like Texas Robotics or Longhorn Racing (Formula SAE) may be you can get some experience in writting production-grade firmware there. Shipping functional, modular code to physical hardware is what converts freshman resumes into competitive internship offers.
Also with recent devlopment in AI there is high demand in edge based AI implementation you can get your hands dirty on how to run LLM on edege devices. Make use of new hardware like NPU and existing like GPU.
All the best.
Start by prioritizing bare-metal development and hardware-software co-design. Transition your C++ knowledge to low-level C to master microcontroller architectures (like ARM Cortex-M), interrupts, timers, and hardware protocols (SPI, I2C, UART).
Buy an STM32 development board and build an autonomous system using FreeRTOS. I am not sure but at UT Austin, if you have clubs/societies or groups related to it then join those high-caliber engineering orgs. I see there are some groups like Texas Robotics or Longhorn Racing (Formula SAE) may be you can get some experience in writting production-grade firmware there. Shipping functional, modular code to physical hardware is what converts freshman resumes into competitive internship offers.
Also with recent devlopment in AI there is high demand in edge based AI implementation you can get your hands dirty on how to run LLM on edege devices. Make use of new hardware like NPU and existing like GPU.
All the best.
Josep Antonio Perez
Entry-Level Mechanical Engineer
16
Answers
Reno, Nevada
Updated
Josep Antonio ’s Answer
Tim,
In my career, I have worked on several robotics projects, including AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), industrial robots, and collaborative six-axis robots. My background is not in computer science; however, I learned C++, and those programming fundamentals have helped me throughout my career. After graduating, I also learned Python and PLC programming languages such as ladder logic, function block, and structured text.
Robotics is heavily involved in the automation industry, and the programming skills I mentioned will help you progress if you develop them early in your academic career. As far as projects go, you can get involved in your school’s robotics clubs or work on your own benchtop robot builds.
A cool activity or hobby I would recommend—especially if you enjoy competing—is BattleBots. One of my most successful mentors told me this was something he did while in school, and it helped him build strong resume points as a student.
Hope this helps!
In my career, I have worked on several robotics projects, including AMRs (autonomous mobile robots), industrial robots, and collaborative six-axis robots. My background is not in computer science; however, I learned C++, and those programming fundamentals have helped me throughout my career. After graduating, I also learned Python and PLC programming languages such as ladder logic, function block, and structured text.
Robotics is heavily involved in the automation industry, and the programming skills I mentioned will help you progress if you develop them early in your academic career. As far as projects go, you can get involved in your school’s robotics clubs or work on your own benchtop robot builds.
A cool activity or hobby I would recommend—especially if you enjoy competing—is BattleBots. One of my most successful mentors told me this was something he did while in school, and it helped him build strong resume points as a student.
Hope this helps!