How to stand out from other people that have just finished uni? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: avogadro
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 06:52:01 pm
content: So in a couple of years ill be finishing my studies in a university. Im looking for different skills that I can learn on my own to get that edge over other students that will be finishing their studies at the same time as myself and are going to be looking for jobs. What would you recommend me to learn that will "impress" any future employee. Im mostly interested in digital electronics, microcontrollers and sensors.

author: onesixright
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 07:07:30 pm
content: I think you mean employer?Be honest. Admit that there are things you simply don’t know, yet explain how you would solve it.Myself I hate it when people present they know there shit, 2 questions later its obvious they don’t.

author: MosherIV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 07:21:57 pm
content: Experience!Go do a 'sandwich' course where you go out and work for a year during your course.

author: jaromir
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 07:24:53 pm
content: Quote from: avogadro on September 28, 2018, 06:52:01 pmBuild something showing your skills and bring it to job interview.

author: taydin
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 07:48:06 pm
content: The only way to REALLY learn something is to work on a non-trivial project in your field. Even if you don't successfully complete the project, just the struggle of trying to finish it will teach you many things and will provide you with valuable experience.Just reading magazines, watching what others have done, reading books, attending courses, going to trade shows isn't nearly enough! Those are good things, but the biggest contribution to your professional development will be putting very long hours into a non-trivial project.

author: dmills
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 08:33:34 pm
content: My favourite question when interviewing newly minted grads: "Tell me about something you have built".It separates the interested from the 'Dad says I need a degree' crowd really, really quickly, and I don't even really care much about the answer, CPU chip, steamtrain, treehouse, car, bunkbed or radio and I don't really care if you pulled it off, as long as you can talk about the design and the tradeoffs and what you did wrong, it is all good.Do NOT big yourself up on the CV, anything on that document that you claim to know well will be fair game for some questions, and not having something on there is FAR less of a problem then having something on there that you have only been in the same room with.Look at it this way, if you claim to be an expert C programmer, but cannot tell me about the use of say "volatile" or why "a [ i ] = i++;" is broken then that brings into question every other claim you make.Take all the maths you can, and statistics is a surprisingly useful thing to have some courses in, also all the electromagnetism, any available high speed design modules, some computer science, ideally including some really low level architecture type courses. The reality of EE these days is that you WILL wind up writing some C and at least reading some assembler at some point.If microcontroller stuff is your thing, take all the discrete maths and control theory classes, coder is commonplace, coder who can design the PID loop, model it in matlab and who can talk sense about floating point numerical stability in IIR filters, and wind up in the I term at the servo limits rather less so.Also, github account and a commit history on something non trivial, very helpful to see how you work with others on things where there can be legitimate differences of opinion.I am NOT expecting mad hardware design skills, that is not what university is there to teach, but some kind of familiarity with real tools and how things really work is nice to have.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 09:02:03 pm
content: If it is a technical study you can get a job anywhere in this economy, just be eager to learn and show enthousiasm at the interview and do your research about the company, nothing is a bigger turn off at an interview then to answer that you have no clue what that company does. And yes I have had those interviews with students for intern asignments "i just need an asignment, I don't care what it is or which domain".

author: AG6QR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 09:39:32 pm
content: I'm not in electronics, but another area of engineering. I've interviewed quite a few candidates. One question I always ask a new grad is, "Can you tell me about a project you've done outside your regular coursework?" A good answer there can show you have some self-motivation and passion for your field, along with the ability to solve problems on your own.We know you're a recent graduate. We don't expect tons of experience. We know you and your classmates have what it takes to get a degree. We'd like to hire someone with motivation and enthusiasm.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 10:05:08 pm
content: I would strongly second having *anything* to show or talk about what you have built / designed in the past, doesn't have to be insane, heck even knowing how to make some simpler arduino projects conveys a practical sense of software, electronics, etc,The issue I commonly see with university grads is they seem to focus almost entirely on the theory, and brush by most of the practical.The other thing I rarely see, Is a good idea of what you don't know, and a plan to fill those gaps when presented with something your a novice at, (Your google-fu) This could be as simple as deferring to a more senior engineer / software tech on the team, however In such a case, Write that stuff down, You will annoy most of them if you keep asking the same questions over and over.Coming in to just about any job environment, there will be 100+ small things you would never need to know unless you are working there, so you will have gaps in your knowledge, and being able to spot when your not clear on something and admitting it helps the training faster than being sat at a desk with the assumption you know everything then come to the realization you don't know where to start after your boss leaves the room.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 28, 2018, 10:36:13 pm
content: Quote from: avogadro on September 28, 2018, 06:52:01 pmIf that's what you want to do when you graduate (and it should be because you are interested in it) then that kind of job usually tends toward the "one man band" types roles where you may be expected to do everything. So being able to show skills in the full product design cycle from hardware, software, assembly, system design, PCB layout, hand assembly and production assembly and prototyping, enclosure design etc will be the most valuable.Downside of that field is there it's too easy to learn that stuff these days and practically any hobbyist will have microcontroller skills.So as someone else mentioned, maybe get into something more niche like DSP and other controllers, maybe some FPGA as well.Design and build a project from scratch and make it look schmick for the job interview. Or take an existing complex design and modify it, do a 6 layer board with a BGA.

author: abraxa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2018, 11:29:32 am
content: I completely agree with dmills: in essence, you need to prove that you'reinterestedand maybe evenpassionateabout embedded development and electronics engineering. As we all know, engineering isn't like [insert random non-scientific degree here] where you can just postulate something and claim that something works - either it works or it doesn't, and arguing against provable facts isn't going to work most of the time. Companies must sell products that work, and that takes effort.If something is on your desk that doesn't work, it takes skill and determination to make it work - even more so when it needs to happen quickly. Tools, processes, best practices can all be learnt on the job but innate interest in the subject matter, passion, patience, the will to "crack that nut" are either there or they're not. A good employer will try to find out whether you possess these character traits, and as others here have already said: the easiest way to prove that youwantto be an engineer andwantto work on problems others would run away from, is to spend your own spare time on picking an engineering task and doing it. Even better if you can finish it and bring it to the interview.Personally, I wouldn't aim for the sky and show up with only papers and drawings. I'd prefer to see someone tackle something realistic but actually "finish" it - no case required, though.

author: Ferenc
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 29, 2018, 09:18:35 pm
content: EEVblog videos regarding this topic:Dave sums it up very well.

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2018, 09:40:18 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 28, 2018, 10:36:13 pmits not easy if you harden it, take care about EMC and know all the limitations of the sensors etc.there is plenty of slapped together stuff by people who can code, that kinda works, but from a critical analysis standpoint is rather shady. Cook book embedded systems are common but low failure rates, highly studied ones not so much. You can find the devil in the details anywhere if you are focused. The problem is unless you work for smart people it's often seen as pedantic.Also my advice is if you want to do sensors then know sensors and know what the limitations are. Sensors are often misused or poorly specified and often poorly interfaced. This turns into multidisciplinary study. you need to understand hthe process you are controlling well for correct sensor use.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2018, 11:38:45 pm
content: Don't simply state, butdemonstrate:you do more than necessaery to get the degree, because you like the subjectyou can choose projects that aren't easy but which are possiblewhat challenges you set yourselfwhat unexpected problems you had when designing, implementing and testing the projectwhat you got rightwhat you would do differently next timeyour assessment of the projectNote that the choice of the project is up to you. Being able to select realistic "stretch" goals is an important skill.