What are the job opportunities for an Electrical Engineer with software skills?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around job opportunities for Electrical Engineers (EEs) with software skills, particularly in the context of job postings that include a variety of degree backgrounds. Participants explore the implications of these postings and the potential roles EEs might play in software development.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants suggest that companies may be looking for EEs who can design software related to electrical engineering, while others question whether the roles are more general and not specifically tied to their engineering background.
  • One participant proposes that companies might value a candidate's programming experience over their specific degree, indicating a willingness to train individuals from various backgrounds for software-related tasks.
  • Another participant expresses skepticism about the capability of EEs to design software, suggesting a perception that programming skills may not be inherent to the discipline.
  • There is a recognition that job postings may be intentionally broad to attract a wider range of candidates with varying degrees of programming experience.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the specific expectations companies have for EEs in software roles, with differing views on the relevance of an EE's programming skills and the nature of job postings.

Contextual Notes

The discussion reflects uncertainty regarding the qualifications and expectations for EEs in software engineering roles, as well as the implications of broad job postings that encompass multiple engineering disciplines.

Jordan Joab
Recently, I've been looking at the classified section on newspapers and noticed something interesting. Several companies looking for Software Engineers; nothing odd about that. The interesting part was the degree requirements: BS in CompSci, SoftEng, CompEng, or Electrical Engineering, Mech Eng, Math, etc. Now, I understand any professional with any of these titles will have a general understanding of software and programming but I didn't think an Electrical Engineer would be capable of designing software.

A) Are these companies looking for an Electrical Engineer that can design software related to Electrical Eng? An Electrical Engineer that can design software unrelated to E.Eng? Or do they simply lump all these professions into one?

With the above in mind, I'm planning to attend City College of New York and would like outside opinions about their Science and Engineering Depts. As of now, I'm still in a gray area as to what I'd like to become but with a better understanding of what to expect it will be easier to choose a career. I'm looking for a very challenging, exciting, and profitable career and hopefully CCNY's curriculum matches my ambitions. I simply don't want to choose a career that can be thrown into some kind of "pot" along with other professions when looking for a job. Thanks for your time.

Jordan Joab.
 
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I'm no expert and I don't know if anyone other than that company ca really answer your Question but' here's my 2 cents:

it may be that the company needs software for some sort of math/science/eng. based application. They feel then that anyone with a degree in Math/Physics/Eng. has had some programing experience and should feel comfortable thinking about and dealing with what ever it is they need done. Thus maybe they feel they can train them or bring them up to speed on the software eng. side of things. Perhaps they are hiring for a team to design the software so they may not need another dedicated SW Eng. where as someone more versed in the math/physics of their situation could be more beneficial
 
Jordan Joab said:
Now, I understand any professional with any of these titles will have a general understanding of software and programming but I didn't think an Electrical Engineer would be capable of designing software.

Hey, them's fighting words! :-)

Nah, some EEs have a lot of programming experience. The job posting is just trying to cover all the backgrounds that could have enough programming experience for the job.
 
berkeman said:
Hey, them's fighting words! :-)

Nah, some EEs have a lot of programming experience. The job posting is just trying to cover all the backgrounds that could have enough programming experience for the job.

Makes sense. I was simply curious about how a job posting could be so broad and general by lumping that many professions into one. Anyone have information regarding the last paragraph of my 1st post? Thanks.

Jordan Joab
 

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