OVERVIEW
Electronics Engineers integrate Software Engineering and Electrical Engineering to design and develop electronic devices and components, such as computer chips, circuit boards, modems, printers. All smartphones, computers, cars, aeroplanes and even satellites have a lot of electronic components. Many of the latest technological developments like smartwatches, self-driven cars are possible because of Electronics Engineers (working with Software Engineers and Mechanical Engineers). This article covers basics of what electronics engineers do, steps required to become an electronics engineer and how you can explore their work.
WHAT DOES AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER DO?
Electronics Engineers design and develop electronic devices. They also supervise testing and installation of electronic devices into bigger circuits. These electronic devices are used for commercial, medical and scientific applications. After spending a few years in industry, electronics engineers may specialize in a specific field like telecommunications, sound engineering, instrumentation or automation. To understand how your day-to-day life is impacted by Electronics Engineers, read the examples given below.
TOP GLOBAL COMPANIES WHICH HIRE ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS
RELATION BETWEEN ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS AND OTHER SIMILAR COURSES
| Goal | Computer Science Engineers | Electronics Engineers |
| Write code for computers to understand | Work with software | Work with hardware |
| Make the computer more efficient | Design efficient programs to reduce code running time | Design more efficient chips to make the code run faster |
| Improve internet speed | Reduce time to load websites by reducing pixel sizes, etc | Build better optical fibers |
| Electrical Engineers | Electronics Engineers |
| Work with electrical wires, cables, resistors, etc | Work with chips, transistors, microprocessors, etc |
| Electrical components are larger and use AC voltages | Electronic components are very small and use DC voltages |
| Electrical devices have no decision making (processing) capability | Electronic devices have decision making (processing) capability |
FAMOUS ELECTRONIC ENGINEERS
HOW TO BECOME AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER?
Step 1 : Choose Science with Mathematics after 10th (PCM) and prepare for Engineering Entrance Exams
As the name suggests, becoming an Electronics & Communication Engineer requires studying “Engineering”. Most of the colleges require students to compulsorily take Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics during 10+2.
All engineering colleges in India admit students on the basis of competitive entrance exams – JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, MHT CET, ComedK as of February 2017. Currently, score in JEE Mains is also used by many States, (e.g., Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh etc) for admission to government and private engineering colleges at the state level.
Step 2: Take admission in Electronics Engineering or related disciplines.
The most popular route to become an electronics engineer in India is through Electronics Engineering. However, you can become electronics engineer by studying Electronics & Communication Engineering (ECE), Electrical & Electronics Engineering (EEE) or even Electrical Engineering.
Many IITs and NITs do not offer a separate course in Electronics Engineering. To become an Electronics Engineer, you’ll have to enroll in an Electrical Engineering course. However majority of courses that you’ll study will be in the field of electronics engineering only. Even most of the companies which recruit students of electrical engineering are for roles of electronics engineer. This is because electronics engineering is developing at a much faster pace and opportunities are much more.
This information is relevant to you because the total number of seats available to become an electronics engineer now is the sums of seats in all these programs. For more details, talk to a student currently pursuing electrical engineering or read details of courses offered.
To see the trend in cutoff for top Engineering colleges in India which admit students through JEE Mains and JEE Advanced, see the chart below.
You can find list of top Engineering colleges in India in the appendix with this book.
EXPLORE THE FIELD
RELATED CAREERS
|
Occupation |
Job Description |
| Software Engineer | Who designed the PayTm app which allows us to transfer money online instead of using cash? Who wrote the program for Google that allows you to search all the information on the internet? Software Engineer. These engineers are also known as software developers. They create the step-by-step solution to the problem of search information (called algorithm) and implement it by programming in a language the computer can understand, e.g., C++ or JAVA. |
| Electrical Engineer | Who designs how does your remote controlled car will move when you press the button on your remote? Who designs all the unique patterns in the lights which we use to decorate our homes in Diwali? Electrical engineers do. Electrical engineers design and develop electrical devices like motors, robotic equipments etc. They also direct technicians who make these machines in a factory and ensure that number of poor quality products is minimum. |
| Telecommunication Engineer | Who designs the mobile phone towers which makes possible calling and internet on your phones? Telecommunication Engineers. They design and develop telephone, radio, radar and other telecommunication equipments and systems. They also supervise technicians who install and operate such machines and ensure that these machines are working correctly. |
| Mechanical Engineer | Everyday you come across many machines – the bus which you ride to school, the fridge which cools food, washing machine etc. All of this is the work of Mechanical Engineers. Mechanical Engineers design and develop mechanical and thermal equipments and devices – like robots, cars, aeroplanes, ACs, roller coaster rides etc. |
USEFUL LINKS
| Learn how Engineers design products keeping in mind that it must comply with existing standards | Get Inspired by the most famous electronics engineers of all time | Build your own “Infinity Mirror” using Arduino Gemma and learn to build your own creative projects using electronics | Watch a day in the life of an Electrical & Electronics Engineer at Intel |
| http://tryengineering.org/lesson-plans/phone-charger-conundrum | http://www.thefamouspeople.com/electronics-engineers.php | https://www.instructables.com/class/Arduino-Class/ | https://youtu.be/1l-fPMxwjaM |