Re: Need advice: want to enter the Embedded field
- From: "Tom Lucas" <news@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 31 Mar 2006 12:29:01 +0100
"Isaac Bosompem" <x86asm@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1143769545.840616.172190@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
<snip Amir's résumé>
Amir wrote:
Any advice on how to get a job in the Embedded field? I'm also offering
$5,000 to any one who can get me a full time Embedded position. I know
this sounds desperate but considering I have no experience, I'm willing
to do anything to get a job. Is there anything I can do to at least get
on track to an Embedded career while earning money? Or do I think about
changing my field and abandoning Embedded?
Hi,
I have a question to ask to employers (I believe it may help you Amir).
I am a student who will be looking for a job in this field as well
later on.
I am not the greatest academic :), but I would say I am fairly good at
stuff and have somewhat of an interest in it.
Do you guys actually take the students with the highest marks? Or is it
simply a myth that has been circulating amongst my peers?
I would say that lower marks are more of a factor amongst large companies
where Human Remains drones receive your CV (résumé pah, rule Britannia!) and
only skim it to get rid of candidates with obvious deficiencies, such as low
academic scores (notably one delusioned hopeful I saw who'd had 12 jobs in
two years and never managed more than 6 weeks in any one of them. He also
managed to spell "Security Guard" differently in 6 of the positions
listed.).
However, in smaller companies (or more enlightened larger ones) then the
person who will be hiring you may get your CV first and actually read
through and see what you've got. Personally, in a recent graduate, I would
be looking for an interesting final project and evidence of an engineering
interest outside of what you had to do to pass the course. If the role was
likely to have you talk to customers then I'd look for something to prove
you were human and had done something that meant interacting with other
humans such as sport or membership of a club. Of course, sensible managers
should not allow engineers to talk to customers as they are prone to
compulsive truthfulness.
I must say I would be interested in the academic achievement as well but I
wouldn't let poorer grades deter me from interviewing someone who was
demonstrably passionate about engineering. A good friend of mine is an
outstanding engineer and craps electrons on demand but he made a complete
hash of his degree by spending all his time on other projects. He found it
very hard to get a job but has now landed on his feet after a good manager
spotted him.
For my part, I did a BEng degree in Computing Systems which is a good blend
of hardware and software and is recognised ( in the UK at least) as being
superior to Computing Science for embedded work <dons flameproof underwear>
.. Whilst studying I worked at Maplin - the UK equivalent of Radio Shack -
and also put together private projects, mainly for Maplin customers. One of
these jobs turned quite big and I managed to base my final project around it
which gave some good interview fodder setting me apart from some of the
other candiates.
As I neared graduation I applied to a number of large companies and went
through several assessment centres where I nurtured my long standing hatred
of HR drones. I had to get through all those before I could get to a
technical interview with someone who would actually be making the decision
to hire me. Incidentally, all you have to do is waffle on about
team-working, communicating and understanding your customer to the drones
and they all get moist gussets and nod knowingly at each other. At this
point an MBA would have been good as the engineering roles they were
recruiting for were intended to be traning for management in the future.
Plus HR know what an MBA is but technical degrees confuse and frighten them.
If you ask them which development tools you might be working with they look
at you like a dog being shown a card trick.
I don't know if it's the same in the states buts 2-year graduate training
programmes are quite common in large companies in the UK. That was what I
ended up doing and it gives you a good general engineering grounding
(depending on the programme) and lets you stretch your management wings if
that's what you want. They don't expect a lot of work experience but
competition is fierce and anything you have will be a bonus.
And then once you've milked them for their experience you can go and get a
real embedded job and substantial pay rise.
.
- References:
- Need advice: want to enter the Embedded field
- From: Amir
- Re: Need advice: want to enter the Embedded field
- From: Isaac Bosompem
- Need advice: want to enter the Embedded field
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