careers in embedded engineering

Just claim to know less than you really do? :-) That'd be a refreshing change for most resumes.

Reply to
Richard H.
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It all depends on who you work for. Thats my job as you described it but I always end up having to program PC interface software as well! Make sure you stay clear of computers if you dont want to be programming them.

Reply to
DAC

Thats almost a fair comment, and probably shows some of my prejudices. I'm even willing to discuss it ;-)

I'm looking for someone to fill a very broad position.

If you've been working in a large organization after 5 years your probaly working in a narrow area, it's unlikely that your working across the embedded sptectrum, dong both hardware and software. You may be capable of doing so, but its probably such that you want compensation equivalent to your narrow specialty in an area where you have not developed the skills.

If you've been working in a small company, the best and brightest either stay on as a key player or move on to be a consultant or start their own small business.

I've been doing embedded engineering for more than 20 years. Of all the engineers I've worked with, I can't name a single one that I would rank in the top 10%, skill wise, that is still working in a traditional Job. They are either consultants or have started their own businesses. This was not true in 1980, it is true now.

Like every broad prejudice there are exceptions, but I believe they are rare.

Paul

Reply to
pbreed

sptectrum,

specialty in

own small business.

Of all the good engineers I have known over more than 20 years in the field very few were good at both politics and engineering. It was even often the case that those who were best at plotting never had the ability or the will to plunge into troubled waters when things become tricky toward the end of the projects. They were certainly better at showing off and that's probably one of the qualities that are needed to become what you call a key player.

Reply to
Lanarcam

"Should". Interesting value judgement, one I happen to agree with.

Pity that the opposite is normally true. The better/cooler/more innovative and insightful your workload requires you to be, the more attractive your job is, the *less* the company needs to pay someone to do it. You're motivated by the coolness, so you don't need the money as much. Harsh perhaps, but that's the reality in most small and large companies, in my experience. The more boring the job is, the more money needs to be offered to get someone good to do it.

Reply to
Clifford Heath

And a person with less than 5 years has this experience?

sptectrum,

specialty in

For the first 4.5 years of my career, I did embedded firmware for a large organization with very large embedded systems (we're talking hundreds of square feet of electronics, 150 +/- embedded Motorola 68Ks, and an IBM mainframe at the top). My last sub-system as firmwware lead had 86 embedded M68Ks.

I then switched to HW, architecting and designing a rack with MC68020s, each with the MC68881 FPU (the first time we had actually put a micro in the data stream). Rack totalled 80 or so cards, of which my team designed and built the 68020 design (33 in our rack and another 17 in another rack) and an interface card to the data stream (28 in our rack). And along the way, I did the algorithm design for the FW group for the rack, and some of the code.

The next project involved 2 card designs (and we're talking 14x16 inch cards here), filled edge to edge. And for one of the cards, the largest ASIC the company had done to that point. I did the simulation for the ASIC in C and found the time to write the driver code (68K assembly) for the ASIC for the FW group. We've now reached late 1989, and filled the next several years with systems, advanced technology investigations, and proposal work. And this was all with the same company.

This May will be my 25th anniversary, the last 11 doing primarily automotive powertrain SW and verification as a contractor. Lightning is here--gotta go.

~Dave~

Reply to
Dave

With less than 5 years experience we expect that we will need to train/mentor the employee.

Reply to
Paul

Then I say again: Why slam the door on those with more than 5 years? Surely with all these 0-4s you're hiring, you need to hire a mentor or three. ;-)

~Dave~

Reply to
Dave

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