“There's a basic principle about consumer electronics: it gets more powerful all the time and it gets cheaper all the time. That's true of all types of consumer electronics.” - Trip Hawkins
Electronic Engineering is a discipline in which electronic circuits and systems are designed with the help of electronic components like transistors and integrated circuits. The whole concept behind Electronic Engineering is to program a device to perform its functions accurately by putting all the information on to a circuit board. It involves fields like Analog Electronics, Consumer Electronics and Power Electronics. Engineers who design these circuit boards and electrical systems that make an electric device perform its functions are called Electronic Engineers. These devices can include a wide variety of things like portable music players, mobile phones, GPS systems etc.
Contrary to popular perception, Electrical and Electronic Engineering are not the same. Electrical Engineers deal with very large amounts of electricity at high voltages and look for ways to transmit and generate the electricity. Electronic Engineering on the other hand focuses on comparatively smaller units of electricity . Electronic Engineering looks to find ways through which electricity can travel across a circuit and make an equipment function properly.
Electronic Engineers are hired by industries such as medicine, entertainment, communications etc. They are known for being logical and analytical as well as creative and innovative. Electronic Engineering is one of the fastest growing engineering disciplines.
What to do Electronic Engineers do?
In broad terms, Electronic Engineers develop the way in which electricity is used to control electronic equipments. They study, design and oversee the production of electronic devices and systems. They not only build equipments but are also responsible for creating the schematic design of the device.
The most important job for an Electronic Engineer is to research, design and supervise production of electronic circuits. They also design electrical components, equipment and the computer programs that run this equipment. They basically analyze the design and study its pros and cons. Then they figure out a way to transform this design into a realistic product.
It is the job of an Electronic Engineer to investigate and test new electronic equipment and components and see whether they meet the design requirements or not. These electronic equipments are re – manufactured if the Electronic Engineer finds defects in them.
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Electronic Engineers have to write reports on the products and design. They also write proposals to get funding for new ideas and equipment that they can make. They have to constantly deal with clients and give them detailed reports on the functioning of the product and how it can be improved.
Electronic Engineers often have to modify electronic equipment to meet the requirements of the client. They also service previously made equipment to make sure it functions properly without defects. These equipments may or may not be created by them.
Electronic Engineers sometimes create their own testing equipment that can be used to diagnose and analyze the performance electrical components. The readings of these equipments can help the Electronic Engineer write detailed reports about the functioning of the device.
Another important job that Electronic Engineers have to perform is to create prototypes of equipments and show them to the client for their approval. Prototypes are like samples that are created to show the clients for their approval. These prototypes are also used for testing and demonstrating.
One of the most important jobs that Electronic Engineers have to perform is making technical drawings of their design. These technical drawings are then used by technicians to manufacture the product according to the design of the Electronic Engineer.
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How to become an Electronic Engineer?
Electronic Engineering involves the application of concepts from various disciplines like telecommunications, physics etc. It can be considered to be the driving force behind the recent surge in the field of Information Technology. Becoming an Electronic Engineer involves a lot of hard work and technical knowledge.
To become an Electronic Engineer, you would study subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics at school. Choose the Science stream after your Class 10th.
Once you complete your schooling, you would pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering. To pursue the degree, you would need to clear engineering entrance exams such as the JEE (Main) and the JEE (Advanced) for the IITs and NITs and other state level and private college exams.
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After your graduation, you can choose to pursue a Master’s degree in Electronic Engineering. Though this is not necessary, it can be of great help if you want to work in the highly sought after areas such as chip design and manufacture.
It is essential to develop curiosity regarding how electronic equipment work in order to become an Electronic engineer. You should try and study how electronic equipment function and conduct your own experiments. You can open up old TV remotes; mobile phones etc. and study their design.
Internships can be of great help if you want to get into Electronic Engineering. You should take up internships whenever possible. Internships will provide you with the opportunity to make important contacts as well as gain important practical experience. Internships can also help you learn laboratory skills if you’re assisting an Electronic Engineer.
Networking is very important if you want to get into Electronic Engineering. Attend seminars, join associations and subscribe to journals in order to create contacts.
Institutions:
Almost all engineering colleges offer courses in Electronic Engineering in India. The IITs are one of the best institutions if you want to study Electronic Engineering. Amongst the IITs, IIT Kharagpur is well known for its course in Electronic Engineering. It’ll provide you with a B.Tech in Electronics & Electrical Communication Engineering upon graduation. IIT Roorkee is also famous for its course in Electronic Engineering and provides graduates with a B.Tech in Electronics and Communication. Apart from the IITs, the Birla Institute of Technology, Rajasthan has a very good course in Electronic Engineering. It provides you with a B.E (Hons.) in Electronics & Electrical Communication Engineering.
What are the skills required to become an Electronic Engineer?
Electronic Engineers design the mechanism of electronic equipment that ranges from household appliances to robotics. They need to have an eye for detail as they have to design small circuit boards which contain massive information within them. Electronic Engineers need to have an analytical brain and the ability to reason scientifically. They need to possess problem – solving skills as they are often required to solve problems in electronic devices. These problems can be caused due to the smallest of defects. Electronic Engineers need to be strong in subjects like Math, Chemistry and Physics. They need to possess excellent computer skills as they are often required to create programs that will make a particular electronic device function. As Electronic Engineers spend most of their lives working in laboratories, a basic knowledge of lab skills can be very helpful. They need to be patient and dedicated. Also, Electronic Engineers need to be able to work in teams as they often team up with many engineers and technicians while working on a single product. Most importantly, Electronic Engineers need to have the ability to turn concepts into reality with the help of their innovation and creativity.
Is this the right career for me?
Electronic Engineers spend their whole life working in laboratories on circuit boards that are the soul of all electronic devices. They have to constantly deal with clients and re – structure designs as per their requirements. It is a well paid career that requires one to use their creativity and innovation with their analytical skills to come up with a product that is useful and as per the client’s requirements.
So if your interest genuinely lies in the field of electronics and if you’re comfortable with learning new things all the time, and the idea of creating new computer programs to make things work fascinates you, then maybe this is your ideal job.
