- #1
changeseeker
- 34
- 0
Dear friends,
I am writing to ask for your advice. I have an undergraduate and master's degree in economics, and a PhD (candidacy) in industrial engineering.
As part of some research I have been doing on campus, I have discovered my true calling: to build hardware and software to help promote democracy and improve the lives of people in minority communities and developing countries.
I've tried doing my own research projects in this area but have encountered the following difficulties: 1) I don't speak the language of HW and SW engineers, so it was difficult to translate the specs from laymen's terms to product requirements; 2) when there were bottlenecks, I couldn't understand what they were or meant because I was not proficient in the technical lingo; 3) the projects always got delayed and entailed larger sums of money than originally anticipated -- this was only a problem because I couldn't understand why and thus it was difficult to explain to investors why the cash burn rate was so high and why the research was behind schedule.
I have two failed projects under my belt so far, which I have taken as opportunities to learn about project management. But it seems to me that the biggest lesson here -- aside from carefully investing other people's cash -- is to get electrical engineering training, so I can: i) build a basic prototype of my vision; ii) know the technical lingo, so I can align HW and SW engineers on the tech specs; 3) handle bottlenecks more effectively as they come in a more hand-on way; and 4) be better at translating product requirements to investors in laymen's terms, so they invest and remain happy with the progress of their investment.
As a result, I have decided to study electrical engineering, in embedded systems, I think. The question is what is the best way to do so after having obtained a PhD.
First, there is the issue of prerequisites. As an economist by training, I only possesses the minimal math required for economics and industrial engineering. I've never taken physics, biology or chemistry, other than in high school. I assume I will need to take these prerequisites -- at least, math, physics, and chemistry -- to study electrical engineering.
Second, do I do a Master's degree, and if so, in what concentration? My interest is in HW and SW engineering and in communications like mixed signals or DSP. Would this be a concentration in embedded systems, or should I be considering other concentrations as well?
Finally, if I do not get a Master's degree, should I just do another Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering?
I haven't ruled out academia, and in fact, I remain very interested in pursuing a career in research, hopefully at a place like the MIT Media Lab.
My EECS friends tell me that I am very creative, come up with interesting and novel ideas easily, and I want to be able to do research and build experimental devices simultaneously.
In any case, I've found it difficult to figure out how to do this career change by myself, so I would appreciate any suggestions, help, and advice that you may have to share so as to figure out the best path to pursue.
Thanks for your help and advice.
Changeseeker
I am writing to ask for your advice. I have an undergraduate and master's degree in economics, and a PhD (candidacy) in industrial engineering.
As part of some research I have been doing on campus, I have discovered my true calling: to build hardware and software to help promote democracy and improve the lives of people in minority communities and developing countries.
I've tried doing my own research projects in this area but have encountered the following difficulties: 1) I don't speak the language of HW and SW engineers, so it was difficult to translate the specs from laymen's terms to product requirements; 2) when there were bottlenecks, I couldn't understand what they were or meant because I was not proficient in the technical lingo; 3) the projects always got delayed and entailed larger sums of money than originally anticipated -- this was only a problem because I couldn't understand why and thus it was difficult to explain to investors why the cash burn rate was so high and why the research was behind schedule.
I have two failed projects under my belt so far, which I have taken as opportunities to learn about project management. But it seems to me that the biggest lesson here -- aside from carefully investing other people's cash -- is to get electrical engineering training, so I can: i) build a basic prototype of my vision; ii) know the technical lingo, so I can align HW and SW engineers on the tech specs; 3) handle bottlenecks more effectively as they come in a more hand-on way; and 4) be better at translating product requirements to investors in laymen's terms, so they invest and remain happy with the progress of their investment.
As a result, I have decided to study electrical engineering, in embedded systems, I think. The question is what is the best way to do so after having obtained a PhD.
First, there is the issue of prerequisites. As an economist by training, I only possesses the minimal math required for economics and industrial engineering. I've never taken physics, biology or chemistry, other than in high school. I assume I will need to take these prerequisites -- at least, math, physics, and chemistry -- to study electrical engineering.
Second, do I do a Master's degree, and if so, in what concentration? My interest is in HW and SW engineering and in communications like mixed signals or DSP. Would this be a concentration in embedded systems, or should I be considering other concentrations as well?
Finally, if I do not get a Master's degree, should I just do another Bachelor's in Electrical Engineering?
I haven't ruled out academia, and in fact, I remain very interested in pursuing a career in research, hopefully at a place like the MIT Media Lab.
My EECS friends tell me that I am very creative, come up with interesting and novel ideas easily, and I want to be able to do research and build experimental devices simultaneously.
In any case, I've found it difficult to figure out how to do this career change by myself, so I would appreciate any suggestions, help, and advice that you may have to share so as to figure out the best path to pursue.
Thanks for your help and advice.
Changeseeker