Juan
What is it like to be a computer engineer
I'm asking because I want to be one and I want to know if that is what fits me. I'm also asking so I can see what the experience is like so if I become one I already know. #engineer
13 answers
G. Mark Stewart
G. Mark’s Answer
I like Irida's answer. As the saying goes, "Do for a job what you'd do for fun and never work another day in your life." I was extremely lucky to have been recruited a long time ago by a famous research company. They expected me to study what I would do anyway. But bear in mind that a "computer engineer" can end up doing a lot of different things. In my case, the company I worked for sent me for my MS degree, and there I learned electronics, robotics, coding, architecture, and on and on. A blast. The company I worked at had a philosophy of engineers being "general purpose" -- you would just do what's necessary to get the project done. I had a lot of latitude in design and architecture and working with customers and solving problems. We were expected to work a project from the original problem statement to a proposed solution, requirements, design, coding or building hardware all the way to working with the customers and teaching how to use it. After awhile I specialized in architecture and then in Systems Engineering. So you might end up doing all of these things or you might specialize in, say, "solutions engineering", where you would be responsible for communicating to various engineers and customer organizations. So the answer to your question is that it can vary quite a bit. But a really nice thing is that a lot of companies are aware of the fact that a happy engineer is a good engineer. Sure, there are times when you'll be expected to do something tough to get the problem solved. In my case, I had a great relationship with our legal department, so I got a lot of odd-ball, interesting problems to solve and inventions to come up with. Or you might find that you like doing what I've done in some companies, and that's assemble the entire system from scratch and get it running. You'll find your niche. It's quite a satisfying career.
Satyabh Mishra
Satyabh’s Answer
Hi Juan,
It's great to hear you want to be a computer engineer and curious if you will like it. If you are already thinking about it i am sure you will like it. I am a Wireless Electronics hardware engineer but I work with many and will be glad to add few points to help you.
1) What is a Computer Engineer ? -- In short someone who understands Electronics Hardware and writes Software Code (or firmware in technical term ) to make the hardware do something meaningful. Its really powerful role , once you understand the electronics and hardware behind it .
2) Do you play video games ? -- Ever wondered how the remote control works and follows your instructions ? -- A Computer Engineer writes Firmware Code after understanding the Xbox/PlayStation Hardware and tells it what to do when you Press any button. So you can be responsible for all the gaming users around the world to make them feel awesome while they use your Software to play games .
3) Do you have a Smart Phone or seen someone use it -- When you press the Phone's Power Button to turn it On -- The Computer Engineer decides what should happen inside the phone and in what order -- Like turn the display On - blink some lights -- say hello to you - and then in background it goes and setups up the hardware for you to make Calls, User any Apps, Save Battery when you don't use Phone or anything else you can think of while you use your Phone.
4) There are many examples i can add but just to give you an idea -- the possibilities are endless. If you really think you will enjoy this in future or will enjoy others using your Engineering work - you can be the best Computer Engineer ever ! It will not be a job for you but a hobby/dream plus you will get paid to do it.
5) Now comes the tough Part -- It won't be easy but you will be able to do it easily if you put your mind behind it. You will just have to finish your high school if you haven't yet - learn about Electronics and Hardware. Learn how to write software codes to control them. You can do these either by going to college and taking these courses . You can be the guy controlling the Next Autonomous Car ?
I hope you become a Computer Engineer and i get to use your passionate and awesome engineering product on a daily basis :)
Satyabh recommends the following next steps:
Dee Anna Woods
Dee Anna’s Answer
I apologize I am an electronic engineer. However I can recommend it's a wise idea to pursue the field especially as a software developer it's one of the most growing industries. It may allow you to work from home. Yet newer technologies of methods on types of developing software is always being conjured up, you must stay up to date. You can make yourself most profitable with much volunteered practice on especially Java, python, SQL, and HTML. The more years of experience you can attest to, the more often you'll be hired out. The field normally pays 80k and higher stemming from experience. The more experienced you are the higher the wage. Honestly the field is difficult requiring long hours and forcibly working at home after hours, but if you do not require much free time of your own and you prefer and enjoy software development this field is for you. Just practice, practice, practice and your will have work and job security. Stay encouraged.
DeeAnna
Greg Turnipseed
Greg’s Answer
So many things we take for granted are thanks to engineers—from the apps you use to the phone on which they run, from the cars we drive to the roads they drive on. Machines that keep us entertained—like televisions, phones, and computers—and machines that keep us comfortable—like air conditioning—to machines that keep us alive—like ventilators and pacemakers—are all the product of inspiration, innovation, and a lot of engineering. As a computer engineer, you can be part of that. And now is an awfully exciting time to be an engineer; in nearly every field, things are advancing in leaps and bounds: fields like nanotechnology and materials engineering are making it possible to design things to be smaller and to harvest energy from all kinds of unlikely sources, even the human body. Computers continue to get faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient. New programming languages can do things in a single line of code that used to take pages to write. The availability of low-cost development kits and test equipment, free development environments, and an enormous wealth of sample code and programming fora means that engineers have way more resources available to tinker on things at home than they ever did before.
But, it's not all fun and games. Engineering can be hard, too. College nearly gave me a nervous breakdown—the classes were hard, and at so many points, I thought to myself, "what's the point of all this?" The projects didn't work the way I thought they should. Out in the work world, there are deadlines—sometimes unrealistic ones—and people who go on power trips and like to make it all about them rather than about the amazing gadget you're making or the people it's designed to help; paperwork—boring, tedious, endless paperwork—and bugs that don't make any sense and are hard to reproduce, let alone fix. And it's not like some jobs where you can just walk away at the end of the day and leave work at work—your mind will still be hashing over those bugs when you go home, and sometimes even when you're trying to sleep. Last but not least, as someone else already said, because engineers are on the bleeding edge of technology, you've got to keep up. Sure, the basics won't change—a for loop has the same principle, no matter the syntax, and Kirchoff's voltage and current laws aren't going to change anytime soon—but new languages come out or gain new features, and new parts come out that do different things, and you've got to stay on top of those to stay competitive.
In short, engineering is hard, and not everybody can do it, but for those who can—and by that, I mean those who have a problem-solving mind, the determination and creativity to find sometimes not only one but many solutions to the problem, the critical thinking to evaluate those solutions to find the best one, the communication skills to justify it, the humbleness to welcome constructive criticism from others, and the technical knowledge or resourcefulness to find the knowledge to implement the solution—it is truly...awesome.
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Pallavi Rawat
Pallavi’s Answer
I am an electrical engineer, I have worked in the field of aerospace ,railways and hence understand the key role of computer engineering . And being able to function as a computer engineer would make me a complete engineer as I think any engineering product meant to provide a service is an amalgamation of electrical and computer engineering. It would definitely boost my values as a true professional.
Joseph Varela
Joseph’s Answer
An incredible opportunity, it's a trustfulness beyond credentials.
This is not a job, it's a skill, you can be call 24/7 to serve your duty, a compromise of honor. In most jobs people make mistakes but in the technology world a mistake it's a catastrophic event. So when they select you they are looking for a special kind of human. You can be in cyber security and be an internet police or a computer admin and be sure all the trains on the city are on the go or a computer Analysis and be a scientific resourceful genius. The only way to find your path is walking the treil. Be all you can be.
Rick Barfield
Rick’s Answer
I am an electrical engineer of 25+ years. I think being a computer engineer would be a good choice looking to the future as our world continues to find new ways to use electronics and computers. I have not specifically been a computer engineer but have worked with those that do this. Its a mix of electrical engineering and software engineering. Circuit design will be mostly digital and you will need to know how to program. If you can do this will be able to do lots of things in your career.
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Orlando Banos
Orlando’s Answer
Computer engineers solve real world problems by writing software to execute sequences of instructions that achieve a certain goal. These sequences of instructions can be used to carry out "algorithms" (pre-determined problem-solving formulas) or "heuristic methods" (a successive approximation technique). Computer engineers will either adopt or invent the most effective solution for the problem at hand. Computer engineers need to write software quckly and effectively to be able to test their ideas. In my opinion, having a solid foundation in math and science is more important than knowing how to write software, because that skill just about anyone can pick up but being a good problem solver takes more talent.
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Olaniyi Clement Obademi (MSAIEE, MIEEE)
Olaniyi Clement’s Answer
As an Engineer and Technologist in the field of Electrical Electronic Engineer Technology, with background developing embedded systems and software. Being a computer engineer will further strengthening my career path and take me more steps into what the future technology has installed for us.
savitha rajendran
savitha’s Answer
I Wish you to become a good computer engineer.
savitha recommends the following next steps:
I H
I’s Answer
A computer engineer is like following your dream the whole life and calling it job.
Shraddha Bhandari
Shraddha’s Answer
Do basic things. Research on it, Take a personality Quiz, Ask yourself one question "I'm I really that interested to be a computer Engineer?"
If you really imagine yourself in this field then you move forward.
sita k
sita’s Answer
Engineering is every where which involves designing ,manufacturing and maintaining ,building.SO everthing involvs engineering .So being an engineer really interesting .