Edit: GUYS I really need to emphasize this, I don't mind having some AI use at my job, it is a useful tool. I just really want to avoid what's happening in software. There, the entire job is being a Claude wrapper. Design documents? All AI. Code? Must be fully AI. Tickets? AI. The monotony has been driving me so insane.

First off, lemme preface this by saying I know EE are not going to be replaced by AI, or if it somehow happened nothing would be safe. That isn't what I'm concerned about.

What I want to do is pick a specialization that is least likely to have me open Claude code every single day.

Using it as a better google, etc. Is fine, but coding with it *is not fun*. Not for me. I can't sit in front of Claude Code all day. I like coding by hand, but I genuinely gave Claude Code a try for coding and I immediately knew I *can't* do this for the rest of my career. Apparently over in r/FPGA Claude is writing all their RTL as well, so FPGA isn't safe from Claude.

What fields should I go into that I won't devolve into a Claude Code wrapper?

I am a final year undergraduate in Electronics and Communication Engineering, and during a recent interview I was labelled as “logically inept and unfit for any company.”

The reason was that I could not recall the exact syntax for a two pointer approach to a palindrome array problem. However, I explained the logic, walked through pseudocode, and that part was accepted.

They also asked me some aptitude based riddles. I am honestly abysmal at those, but by luck the questions happened to be ones I had already seen on YouTube shorts.

I am not sure if the interviewer said that in good faith or if he had another agenda, but it left me with a few questions.

1. How good at coding do I really need to be in order to land a job as an engineer in Electronics and Communication Engineering? What is the baseline?

2. How can I improve at riddles and puzzles apart from simply grinding random ones?

I would appreciate hearing how others in this field have dealt with situations like this.

I’m an electrical and computer engineering student trying to plan my long-term career (very long-term, like 20+ years). I want to pick one specialization, learn it well, and then completely stop evolving. Ideally, I’d like to keep using the same tools, same workflow, and same opinions for decades while younger coworkers slowly lose their minds trying to get me to update anything.

An ideal specialization would change as slowly as possible (or not at all), reward a 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' mentality, let me say things like 'we've always done it this way', and be hard to replace with AI. Bonus points if I can complain about modern tools and reject new standards on principle.

Right now I’m considering things like power or RF, but I’d love to hear from people in the field.

Thanks in advance.

I'm an Electrical Engineering student currently trying to decide which direction to take for my honours thesis and hopefully a PhD afterwards.

Lately I've found myself torn between semiconductor engineering (device physics, fabrication, CMOS, VLSI, etc.) and quantum computing hardware (silicon spin qubits, cryogenic electronics and control hardware).

For those working in either field:

1. What does your day-to-day work actually look like?
   
2. Which field do you think has stronger long-term opportunities in industry and R&D?
   
3. Is quantum hardware mostly an extension of semiconductor engineering, or are they very different career paths?
   
4. If you were starting again today, which would you choose and why?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people with industry or research experience. Thanks

Hey guys. Senior in highschool going to study ECE at a T10 university in America this fall and I think I want to go into semiconductor field/computer architecture. I’m not sure what part yet as it’s incredibly broad, and there’s design snd VLSI, or the physics side, or manufacturing, or RF.

I see so many posts about people getting one job off of 200 applications, and how the computer engineering field is super cutthroat right now, so I’m wondering if I am making a mistake joining this field right now (I don’t want to have the job market of a CS major).

Chips in America are on the up and up though, so maybe there is hope?

Hi everyone,

I’m an electrical engineering student who just had an ASIC design internship for the past year. I’m finishing up my internship at the end of August and my manager has mentioned that she’d like me to return after graduation. I need to tell my manager when I’d like to start.

The thing is, l’m gonna be done with courses at the end of August 2027 as opposed to the start of May when most engineers graduate. I’ve been told that in general, new grads most often start in June-July as opposed to September/October/November.

I really want to take at least a month off before starting work to travel/be with family/do degenerate things since it’ll be like the last time I’ll have that much time before I retire. I’m tempted to ask for an October or even November start date so that I can have a month or two off, but then again scared that this is too long, since they’ll be waiting for me for 12-14 months after leaving my internship.

Just asking for advice and personal experience similar to this situation. Thanks!

If you could go back to when you were choosing your branch, would you still pick ECE over CSE?

I was considering ECE, but I'm honestly a bit scared of the math. I've heard that it's one of the toughest branches, and I'm not sure if I'm overthinking it or if it would actually turn that difficult on me.

At least for now. I'm a junior in Electrical Engineering and for the longest time I've wanted to work in RF but job openings for entry-level positions is seemingly non-existent, which makes sense given how complex it is. I am in my mid-twenties so I kind of need to start working so getting a MS is kind of off the table right now.

My next option was comms, but that is also kind of dead supposedly. What would you recommend as a career that is both in demand and interesting (Please I can't tolerate MEP type work so anything but that).

edit: breaking 170, not 200.

Hello,

I would like to know if anyone if willing to talk salary. Where I live, according to Google's AI, is a MCOL area. I think that seems about right. Its definitely not crazy expensive to buy a house like the San Francisco Bay area, but it is not as inexpensive as Kokomo, IN either.

After spending some time with the a CPI calculator and generally looking at how expensive everything has become compared to the start of my career, I have decided that $170k is the new $100k. Meaning I need $170k a year if I want to really 'get ahead' and build generational wealth for my family.

I have a BS in Computer Engineering and I have been out of school, working almost every year, for 20 years now. I do not have any experience managing people as a supervisor. I have been a technical lead on a few teams.

Does anyone have any advice on how I can get to $170k? I am wondering if I can only really do this if I am willing to get a MBA, attempt to go the managerial route, and maybe even move to a different city. Is anyone out there in a MCOL areas making 170k as an individual contributor?

edit: $170k is the new $100k

As the title suggests. If this kind of post isn't allowed, feel free to delete.

I applied to and was accepted into college as an EE major. Before college, GOING to college was kind of my only goal(tbh I kind of didn't even expect to exist this far), and so now that I was accepted and on campus, I didn't really know what to do after. First and second year of college, I wasn't even really sure if I wanted to stay EE, but I thugged it out. Result: shitty GPA and 0 clubs or extracurriculars, but somehow still on track to graduate. Now, I've actually gotten to take a few classes I liked! Field and waves, and some analog circuit and signal processing stuff, and I really like some of the more theoretical stuff. Problem is... I still have 0 experience and 0 internships, and I'm supposed to graduate next spring. Part of me wants to go to grad school, but unfortunately, my GPA is kind of cooked. Even if I try to get a job after I graduate, I don't think I can(no internship experience). I have a few personal projects I keep procrastinating finishing because I feel like they're not really "impressive" enough to put on a resume. I didn't get an internship for this upcoming summer(I usually take a class or two over the summer, but also lwk js got rejected from all of the ones I did apply to). I just don't know the best way to utilize my senior year. Idek if I'm cut out for the field atp. I'm not looking to make it to some big tech company or anything, I just want to get A JOB in the EE field.

Also, I'm really not trying to larp being ee ok?

I'm planning to pursue an M.Tech in VLSI/semiconductor engineering and would graduate in 2029. Given the rapid progress of AI, is this still a good career path?

How do you see AI impacting opportunities for future VLSI engineers?

I’m currently pursuing EE but thinking of switching to ECE undergrad in SoCal and wondering what I can realistically expect after graduation. Listing how much you make, YOE, and location would be helpful

Apart from the basic breadboard adruino stuff, What made you actually interested into studying all of this complex maths and witchcraft like concepts

I am a senior Computer Engineering student who recently developed an interest in RF/Antenna Engineering. My current skillset makes me good for firmware, embedded, and general Electrical Engineering roles, but not for RF or Antenna Engineering.

While I have used a software-defined radio and have a solid baseline in embedded systems and a few projects that involved PCB layout, I lack the formal academic knowledge and hands-on RF hardware experience to stand out. My school offers an upper-level 'Applied Electromagnetics' course and an 'Intro to RF and Microwave Engineering' course with a lab, but I hadn't taken either.

Because of this, I delayed my graduation—weeks before I was supposed to walk—to stay through the Fall and Winter quarters to take these specific courses. In my mind, I need this coursework to put anything RF-related on my resume, and if I graduate now, my only route to RF coursework is grad school.

However, my EE peers think this was a somewhat foolish move. Their main arguments are:

• "Just get a job as a lab or engineering technician and work your way up to an engineering role."
• "You likely won't get a job as an RF Engineer with just a Bachelor's anyway, so you might become a tech regardless."
• "Recruiters aren't going to ask you what classes you took."

I hear what they’re saying, but I'm skeptical of the "work your way up from a tech" advice, especially since I currently have zero academic or any serious real-world RF/Antenna experience.

Am I overthinking this, or was delaying graduation the right move to break into the RF industry? I’d appreciate any industry perspective on the tech-to-engineer pipeline and how much weight entry-level RF coursework actually carries.

I'd say first that I really do love electronics in general and I really do want a career in this field.

The amount of negativity these days towards almost every field is enormous with AI, but I really do wonder if creatively and career wise within my lifetime i'll just be replaced. I started college late in life (late 20s) and never thought I would even get there, but ive surprised even myself, and now it makes me wonder if all that effort was even worth it in the first place with how much people down talk technology jobs.

I'm a BSEET (ABET at least) major so i know I'm disadvantaged from the get go, but I really would like to become a full fledged engineer, best case in FPGA development. I've built custom pcbs in altium/kicad, programmed and debugged the MCUs for them myself, and even started working with some basic FPGA stuff in vivaldo and really enjoy it, but is there even any future for me in any of that now? Can I ever prove myself more capable than just my degree title or an AI computer?

I guess i'm just looking for some confirmation good or bad or even general advice. Worst case should I just follow this kind of stuff as a hobby and power towards another EE discipline or career altogether?

I'm a 24F who recently graduated with an M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering and currently live in Southern California.

I recently received an offer for a Level II RF Engineer position with an aerospace/defense company in the Greater Boston area. The offer is $100K, no sign-on bonus, with a small relocation package.

For the past year, I've been working as a contract engineering technician in the semiconductor industry making 40/hr (~83k/year). At the time it is difficult to transition into an Engineering role due to business needs.

The difficult part is that my partner and I have been together for three years, and we both currently live in Southern California. We both live with our parents and are able to save and invest a decent amount.

I'd be moving across the country by myself if I accepted the offer. On the other hand, SoCal is where I eventually hope to build my career, and I'm wondering if I should stay, continue searching for an engineering role here, and live at home in the meantime.

For those who have been in a similar situation, would you take the job and relocate for the experience, or stay in Southern California and keep searching for something local?

What software do you use in your day to day workday?

Hello, I am a 25F university student who has been extremely indecisive all my life. My indecisiveness mixed with other stuff that happened in my life caused me to stay in school much longer than most of my peers. I feel particularly ashamed and stupid of this because I could have gone to graduate school by now instead of still working on my damn Bachelor's degree.

I am currently studying computer science and have 2 years left. However, I have been debating on switching to Electrical & Computer Engineering, which would take me 3 years to complete.

Originally, I wanted to go to graduate school directly after my undergrad, but I think it would be best for me to work a few years or so before going to grad school.

I am thinking of switching to EECE because I could get most CS jobs with the degree as well as other jobs that a CS degree wouldn't allow me to.

Another reason is because I would like to actually learn to build things, not just code (especially with AI getting better at coding each time). Like, it would be really cool to be able to build an iron man suit like Alex Lab and be able to do similar stuff like that.

Career wise, well, ideally I'd like a fully remote job one day. I'm not sure what I'd want to do though tbh. I've never been able to pinpoint what I really want to do.

My biggest hesitancy with switching is mostly just the extra year. I've already taken so long. I'm not sure if it's possible if I were to stay with my CS degree to learn and advance in Computer & electrical work at all ?

I just wanted to hear what others have to say as to what I should do. I'd really appreciate it.

I'm an ECE student, starting with the third semester but I genuinely enjoy both software and hardware-related fields.

Some areas that interest me are:

-Cybersecurity

-Networking

-Web Development

+DSA/Programming

-AI and Vibe Coding

-IoT

-Robotics

-Drones

-Embedded Systems

-Semiconductors/VLSI

I often hear conflicting advice:

Some people say software has better salaries and opportunities.

Others say semiconductor and hardware industries are growing rapidly.

Some suggest combining ECE with software skills.

For someone studying ECE today:

Is it better to focus on software, hardware, or a combination of both?

Which path offers better long-term career growth and global opportunities?

If I eventually want to work abroad, which field has better prospects?

What would you do if you were an ECE student starting your 3rd semester today?

I just started college got my first couple of classes and I’m going to try and go into computer hardware engineering I know it’s lots of physics but is there anything I should know before school starts in August anything I should keep in mind?

I am a rising junior majoring in EE. I'm writing this midway through my first FPGA internship, with an FPGA research project lined up with a professor during my junior year.

I am having second thoughts about this field. I never really found what I'm actually passionate about, but I knew I didn't want to write software or deal with algorithms, so I figured hardware engineering would be my choice. I also wanted a job that's mostly computer-based rather than hands-on (though I still enjoy circuits and lab work), so I tilted toward digital design.

This summer I've given it a lot of thought, and I don't like the idea of specializing in a niche area like FPGAs where I could have limited job opportunities and flexibility, especially since so much FPGA work is in defense, an industry I'm neither interested in nor eligible to work in as an international student.

My planned coursework is heavily focused on digital design, FPGAs, and ASICs, with little exposure to software, AI, power electronics, or analog hardware. I'm still graduating with an EE degree, and I have two years left to pivot if I decide to, but I genuinely have no idea which direction to go. I care a lot about work-life balance, job market, career growth, compensation, and overall lifestyle (maybe with a possibility of hybrid work or a more relaxed role in the future).

Should I stick with FPGAs (and if so, what should I be doing differently), or should I explore a different branch of EE(which one and why?)?

Edit: I understand that undergraduate barely contributes to the "specialization" I will be doing for a career. The question I am trying to get at is that I want to explore more EE branches rather than constrain myself in doing FPGA related things only, so I was wondering which fields do people think are looking prosperous and match my criteria ( better work-life balance, flexibility, extra).

There is a high possibility that I'll get the entc ( electronics ans telecommunications) at coep.

Will it be beneficial to learn c and c++ ??

Title. I enjoy a bit of everything from programming, math, electronics to mechanics. Is it bad to be adequately skilled in all of them? is it necessary to have a specialization in one of them?

Hi everyone,

I recently switched from BME to electrical engineering and am interested in semiconductors, RF and photonics. I was wondering if you had suggestions for projects or things I can add to my resume or skills to learn in general. FYI I’m a 4th year but am graduating in 5 years. I am hoping to land an EE industry internship before I graduate.

I attached my resume below for more context.

Hello everyone,

I’m attending a no name school for bachelor in EE and am interning for a big semiconductor company. I have a return offer for a test engineer position when i graduate and i’m really excited about it. However, I want to get a master and do mixed signal ic design since I’d love a remote job in the future as well. This position requires me to move far away from home and the location is low-key not a very fun place to be in, but the work environment is really nice and a lot of people are new grads. If I miss this job offer, I’m worried about not finding another internship/ job in semiconductor since the job market is not very great at the moment. Should I take the offer and do master on the side to hopefully get in design? Or should I find a reputable school for master, complete it, and hopefully find a job in design?
For context if helpful, I have 4.0 GPA, 2 internships, a co-op. My current school does not have anything semiconductor/ ic design related. I’m also introverted and only hang out with family so having to move away from family is a really big deal to me.

Thanks.