FreeLists / si-list / [SI-LIST] Re: Career Advice for a junior EE

["kameshp.rm" <kameshp@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The world is becoming smaller and smaller due to the development of 
Internet and high bandwidth secure communications. Also, the end of 
cold war, fall of USSR and the fall of Communism made our world more 
open to everybody. Earlier, (70's, 80's and even 90's) people used to 
live in their own shells in their respective countries when computers 
are networked in a department in a building. Then, they have to 
compete among themselves only. But now the competition is "Global". 
You have to compete with more number of people like you. If you have 
a laptop and a connection to the internet, virtually you can work 
(design) from anywhere in the world (even from Antarctica or Sahara). 
In that case, what is the necessity for employers to keep you in a 
place where you need more "fuel" and you look "expensive" to them?

All this is resulting in global competition and thus even though you 
are smarter to in your "local" geographical area earlier, your merit 
(smart) rank will relatively becomes lower as now you have to compete 
with an another guy/gal on the otherside of the globe who is "less 
expensive" and "more smarter" than you.

My feeling is that all this will end up in Darwin's theory where 
fittest will survive globally. Still studying "electronic 
engineering" or any skill is OK as long as you can stand relatively 
at the top of "global pool" of competitors. I will definitely advice 
my daughter or son to go for technical courses but at the same time I 
will ask them to be more competetive. In future the average skilled 
people who are getting more salaries in rich countries may have to go 
for job losses or pay cuts and people who are getting relatively low 
salaries on the otherside can anticipate raises (not sure here). Thus 
for some people it is their misfortune and for remaining it is their 
fortune. Whether we like it or not this is a fact. Survival will 
become a little bit difficult for people with average / above average 
level of any skill in any part of the world.

-Kamesh Pidaparthy



--- In si-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "John Matthews" <john.matthews@xxxx> 
wrote:
> If it's proving extremely difficult to get a relavent job, then
> another option is to
> go back to university (even part time) and take a masters degree
> specialising
> in an area which will compliment your current skills. I've no
> idea how easy it is
> to do this in the U.S.
> 
> I did this years ago to get away from working in power
> electronics and ended up
> designing video compressiion circuits. At the time it was the
> only way of expanding
> my knowledge/capabilities .. I didn't feel it was going to
> happen in my job.
> 
> Your dilemna is typical of many engineers who have graduated
> worldwide over the
> last few years. We see it in colleges here also.
> 
> The employment market has changed partly due to the
> recession/downturn, but also
> partly due the off-shoring of design functions to lower cost
> economies. It's coming back,
> I feel, but is not resulting in a any serious creation of new
> jobs.
> 
> It raises a question .. would you advise your teenage son or
> daughter to study electronic
> engineering in this climate? I don't know if I would!
> 
> 
> John Matthews,
> Hardware Engineer,
> Virtual Access Ireland Ltd,
> Unit 18, Trinity Enterprise Center,
> Pearse Street,
> Dublin 2.
> 
> Telephone (Direct) 353 1 6041856
> Fax       353 1 6705380
> www.virtualaccess.com
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: si-list-bounce@xxxx
> [mailto:si-list-bounce@xxxx]On Behalf Of gsletch
> Sent: 10 November 2004 16:37
> To: si-list@xxxx
> Subject: [SI-LIST] Career Advice for a junior EE
> 
> 
> 
> I have a question, not technical per se, but more career advice
> related.
> 
> I am an unemployed EE(US Citizen) with about 3 years experience
> in the
> hard hit telecom/computer server industry. My first job out of
> school
> was mainly doing high speed digital PCB layout. On occasion, I
> did
> some simple schematic capture and I was trained in Cadence's
> signal
> integrity tools, but never got into it like I was
> promised...industry
> started to tank, environment changed, etc. Long story...anyway.
> 
> Now to my question, how do engineers/managers view a "newbie"
> whose
> previous job was as a PCB Designer, but wants to get into more
> board
> level circuit design with less physical design other than
> supervising
> layout designers or doing some myself when needed? I feel that
> the PCB
> layout exp. was helpful, but not challenging enough; hence, the
> lateral career move.
> 
> Am I looked down upon because I was a PCB Designer?
> 
> Will there ever be an opportunity as a Hardware Engineer? The
> job
> market doesn't seem to want to open up for the junior level
> people...it is closing in on 2 years out of work for me....
> 
> I have a BSEE with Graduate level courses in FPGA/ASIC design
> and
> (soon to be) board design. Do I have a chance or am I wasting my
> time?
> Opinions are welcomed....
> 
> 
> 
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