software vs hardware - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: KTP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 11:30:20 pm
content: I know I am not ready to look for a job (have not graduated EE yet) but when the university sends out career emails, there are always about 20 times more jobs in software engineering than electrical engineering.Is it just my area (west coast USA)? Or do they just have it better than us (EEs)?I may be a little biased in my feelings, as my wife is a software engineer pulling over 200K/year...so maybe I have a bit of field envy...I do so love electronics though...

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 12, 2010, 11:38:14 pm
content: Why even get a job when your wife makes 200k. LOLBut you are right, they do have it good right now. Here is some interesting reading you might enjoy:http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bestjobs/2010/full_list/index.htmlDifferent tabs for different types of rankings.I am from Texas and I just found a job a few months ago out here on the west coast as a practicing electrical engineer.

author: DavidDLC
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 12:27:48 am
content: Don't get a job you don't like just because the money, then you are not going to be 100% happy.Just get the job you love to do !

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 12:48:25 am
content: will depend on job prospect in your location, you may either:1) work happy and income misery2) make money out of your interest3) follow your wife and income happy

author: Time
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 02:56:31 am
content: Quote from: shafri on October 13, 2010, 12:48:25 am

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 13, 2010, 09:36:48 am
content: Yes go with what interests you most. I'd go for hardware but would do some software modules too.

author: KTP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 01:31:35 am
content: Quote from: Time on October 12, 2010, 11:38:14 pmI feel *really* guilty about sitting at home playing with circuits while the wife works. I would like to contribute something, even if it ends up being only 1/3 of her income level. Plus I could put 100% of my first 16,500 of income in a 401K.That graph is really depressing...I don't even see EE listed on there, except if you consider the environmental jobs (which is actually what they are trying to push us EE students into at the Uni...power plant stuff, green jobs). I am more wanting to focus on RF design.

author: rossmoffett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 14, 2010, 02:47:59 am
content: Maybe the University has a better relationship with software companies than it does hardware companies.. or perhaps the CS department is much more renowned for its software engineers than your EE department is for its electronics engineers. It's hard to say without knowing your school. There's also the fact that all of the big software firms in the West compete for each others best programmers, while you don't really see that kind of competition for hardware guys, or at least I'm not aware of it. In that case, the hardware companies are just waiting for you to come to them, rather than violently pursuing the best employees.I saw tons of engineering jobs open in the defense industry when I was considering moving to California, but they didn't pay market value for the job. I was talking to my boss about this one day and he said it was the same for him in the 70's.