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I want to learn more about being an engineer
#engineering #engineer #software #math #software-engineering
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5 answers
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Jerome’s Answer
I'd agree with the answers above, but if you really want to succeed in today's engineering fields, you're going to need familiarity with hardware _and_ software. Almost all of the jobs available require you to operate or design software / hardware systems -- and many require both.
Working with software coders who have no clue how the hardware on which their code runs is a painful experience; talk about RAM or CPU resources and their eyes glaze over (until their code doesn't run any more and they don't understand why).
On the other hand, working with hardware folks who don't know or care about the software running on their platforms is equally miserable, since they don't want to believe that their designs are useless without that software.
Therefore, I'd suggest you figure out which of these areas interests you the most, then learn about both but focus on the one you chose (for the mathematically-inclined, maybe a 70%/30% or 80%/20% split). Good engineers in any engineering discipline -- computer, biomedical, civil, mechanical, environmental, you-name-it -- will have a broad understanding of systems and components.
Working with software coders who have no clue how the hardware on which their code runs is a painful experience; talk about RAM or CPU resources and their eyes glaze over (until their code doesn't run any more and they don't understand why).
On the other hand, working with hardware folks who don't know or care about the software running on their platforms is equally miserable, since they don't want to believe that their designs are useless without that software.
Therefore, I'd suggest you figure out which of these areas interests you the most, then learn about both but focus on the one you chose (for the mathematically-inclined, maybe a 70%/30% or 80%/20% split). Good engineers in any engineering discipline -- computer, biomedical, civil, mechanical, environmental, you-name-it -- will have a broad understanding of systems and components.
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Brijesh’s Answer
Engineering is a very vast domain. You can categorized in different domains for e.g. hardware or software, by domain (mechanical, chemical, electrical, computer etc.), by job type (quality, project etc.) and so on. You may want to choose what type of engineer you want to become. I will take an example, I like to program computer, I like manufacturing. This will decide your engineering domain. In first example you may want to choose Computer Engineering in second example it may be Mechanical/Civil Engineering. Depending on your interest, I can suggest a few steps:
1. Choose your interest
2. Create a short and a long term plan
- Short Term (1-5 years): Think about college, professional companies after college
- Long Term (10-15 years): Where you want to see yourself
3. Think about your constraints (for e.g. financials)
4. Seek guidance from professionals
5. Execute your plan
This may be very high level but this can give you a good starting point.
1. Choose your interest
2. Create a short and a long term plan
- Short Term (1-5 years): Think about college, professional companies after college
- Long Term (10-15 years): Where you want to see yourself
3. Think about your constraints (for e.g. financials)
4. Seek guidance from professionals
5. Execute your plan
This may be very high level but this can give you a good starting point.
Updated
Dana’s Answer
Hi there! We can, for instance, divide engineers into two big categories:
- Hardware engineer
- Software engineer
Both hardware and software engineers work closely with computers to design, maintain and develop programs like the ones you use every day, for instance your browser. However, hardware engineers focus on the physical components of a computer, like the CPU, the RAM, the motherboard etc. while software engineers work with high-level programming languages, like Python, Java, Javascript etc. to create programs.
This might sound like a lot, but don't worry! You can understand everything in time.
Software engineers can also have hardware-related tasks if necessary, and hardware engineers can also work with programming languages in their job!
Being a software engineer means solving smaller and bigger problems each day. You work on tasks like developing a new functionality for a program, for example: the ability of adding a favourites list on an online shop, as a logged user. You can also work on developing things from scratch, like building a website for a company. Being a software engineer means working both individually and in teams, troubleshooting (solving problems that occur and detect their causes so they don't happen again), writing code (programming), and designing architecture for programs.
I am a software engineer, so I can tell you more about this job if you are interested! Here are some answers regarding programming and Computer Science that I've answered:
https://www.careervillage.org/questions/484847/why-did-you-choose-coputer-science
https://www.careervillage.org/questions/485294/what-should-i-learn-if-i-want-to-get-a-career-in-computer-science
Please let me know if you didn't understand any concept I wrote about and don't hesitate if you have additional questions! Good luck! <3
- Hardware engineer
- Software engineer
Both hardware and software engineers work closely with computers to design, maintain and develop programs like the ones you use every day, for instance your browser. However, hardware engineers focus on the physical components of a computer, like the CPU, the RAM, the motherboard etc. while software engineers work with high-level programming languages, like Python, Java, Javascript etc. to create programs.
This might sound like a lot, but don't worry! You can understand everything in time.
Software engineers can also have hardware-related tasks if necessary, and hardware engineers can also work with programming languages in their job!
Being a software engineer means solving smaller and bigger problems each day. You work on tasks like developing a new functionality for a program, for example: the ability of adding a favourites list on an online shop, as a logged user. You can also work on developing things from scratch, like building a website for a company. Being a software engineer means working both individually and in teams, troubleshooting (solving problems that occur and detect their causes so they don't happen again), writing code (programming), and designing architecture for programs.
I am a software engineer, so I can tell you more about this job if you are interested! Here are some answers regarding programming and Computer Science that I've answered:
https://www.careervillage.org/questions/484847/why-did-you-choose-coputer-science
https://www.careervillage.org/questions/485294/what-should-i-learn-if-i-want-to-get-a-career-in-computer-science
Please let me know if you didn't understand any concept I wrote about and don't hesitate if you have additional questions! Good luck! <3
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Pro’s Answer
There is also wildlife habitat restoration engineering & environmental engineering
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Maria’s Answer
Hi there,
In addition to the answers above it is first finding what interests you and what you are passionate about. You can also ask other engineers what they like because engineering is so vast and see if anything piques your interest. Nowadays you can find so many maker projects that can introduce you to so many aspects of engineering so you can try out what interests you. But definitely trying to focus your research based on what interests you will help get you started
In addition to the answers above it is first finding what interests you and what you are passionate about. You can also ask other engineers what they like because engineering is so vast and see if anything piques your interest. Nowadays you can find so many maker projects that can introduce you to so many aspects of engineering so you can try out what interests you. But definitely trying to focus your research based on what interests you will help get you started