5 ms·

I switched from web dev to semico this year and the amount of things i dont understand is huge Majority of ppl here are after electrical eng. Cs seems to be

I switched from web dev to semico this year and the amount of things i dont understand is huge Majority of ppl here are after electrical eng. Cs seems to be easy in compare

badRNG 4y ago
I currently work in embedded software which involves a lot of overlapping interaction with EE and hardware design folks. The consensus is that the hardest, most fascinating field is the one you currently have the least exposure to. The easiest, least exciting field is the one you have a degree in. In CS, you may have spent thousands or tens of thousands of hours across many years learning and growing, and still being limited in your understanding of the field as a whole. It's daunting to explore other related fields just to find out that they each have similar levels of complexity, filled with professionals who've sunk similar levels of effort, time, and years of their life into their work (who are often equally struck by the complexity of your field.)
- netr0ute 4y ago
  The grass is always greener on the other side
  - actinium226 4y ago
    But sometimes that's because it's fake. Other times it has more to do with the particular brand of, ahem, fertilizer, they use. Sometimes it really is greener and your side is shit and it's time to make a change.
- hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
  Just curious, for a software engineer that only works with managed languages such as Java and Python, what kind of embedded job is easy to squeeze into? Thanks~~
  - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
    There are a number of embedded gadgets that run on Android, complete with code in Java. (They aren't hard real-time systems, but not all embedded devices care about that.) Look for things that have a real graphical display and touchscreen.
    - hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
      Thanks! Is that different from Android/iOS development or just part of it?
      - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
        Well... it's Android (or iOS) development, but it's different. In that kind of situation, you usually own the whole device. You don't have to worry about being removed from memory because the user wanted to run some hotel's booking app or whatever - the user doesn't have the option of doing that. You may have some additional hooks that give you some control of whatever custom hardware that comes with the device. You may or may not have to drop down into native code to access those hooks. You can't develop against a standard phone or tablet. You have to have your hardware to develop against. So, yeah. It's the same... but it's different.
  - badRNG 4y ago
    If you have experience with software, learning embedded concepts isn't a huge leap. At least in my area, aerospace, defense, and automotive tend to be the biggest, easiest employers to get started with. They will hire basically anyone with a solid grasp of C, OSes, and basic computer architecture (at an undergrad level.) I find embedded really rewarding. A 20 year old embedded-C code base generally follows the same design patterns and coding conventions and styles that you'd use today, and don't feel "old" or like they need to be rewritten. A 7 year old JS code base, on the other hand, is largely outdated, and may be written in a nearly extinct framework by the time it is your turn to maintain it. If you get tired of giving up time on the weekends so you can learn a new framework, consider hopping over!
nsonha 4y ago
That's very brave, from easy work high pay to hard word low pay.
- hardware2win 4y ago
  Thats how I do feel - that better cash and more jobs = web dev, but I feel like in semico there is way more interesting and impressive stuff. Ppl who I worked with went into more web like jobs after semico But later I'd want to work as compiler engineer
  - nurspouse 4y ago
    Semiconductor theory is more interesting, but don't even consider it unless you love math and can do standard integrals without having to look up tables. Also, the mistake I made when I went to grad school: Semiconductors seemed to be a "new" field compared to the rest of EE. One of my undergrad professors said "They still haven't figured out what a standard textbook should contain." In reality, from a research standpoint, it's a very mature field. Don't expect low hanging fruit. If you're going to focus on theory, expect it'll take a number of years of dedicated study before you get to the frontier. You'll need to know quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, and some electromagnetics, just to begin studying semiconductor theory. Then a whole bunch of specialized solid state courses. Then you start studying the specific subtopics (reading key journal papers). > But later I'd want to work as compiler engineer Why are you wasting time with semiconductors...?
    - hardware2win 4y ago
      >Why are you wasting time with semiconductors...? Because this company does both, so after I get bored with current role and prepare better, then i'll try to switch teams I didnt and still do not see easier way for me to get into comps (i may be naive), especially that i dont know cpp yet, which seems like must have in compilers world unless you go to e.g msft
    - metaphor 4y ago
      > One of my undergrad professors said "They still haven't figured out what a standard textbook should contain." At least for the analog domain, Gray et al[1] has been the standard entry-level gateway drug for longer than I care to remember. [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470245999/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470245999/
Datenstrom 4y ago
Web development usually involves very little CS it is much closer to Software Engineering. Computer Science about solving problems with math, science, and computation theory and just happens to use computers as tools. Software Engineering is about building complete and useful programs.
- goodpoint 4y ago
  > Web development ... is much closer to Software Engineering Is what?!
  - nsonha 4y ago
    There are still peole like this who think Software Engineering is Computer Sience it's barely even engineering
    - goodpoint 4y ago
      I would say in well known tech companies it's the opposite: software and system engineering > computer science > web development Typically softeng roles require a degree in CS or equivalent, and many years of experience on top of that. Then again, in some other companies "senior engineer" is somebody who did a 3-months bootcamp and 3 years of work. It's very unfortunate.
      - nsonha 4y ago
        is that because "computer science" is understood to be algorithms? That's like a super narrow area in it
        smolder 4y ago
        I've encountered some "computer science" programs that barely taught people to program in Java, included classes on Microsoft Excel and Access and didn't include any advanced math. Data structures and algorithms might get a single class to satisfy interview questions about linked lists vs arrays and what Big O notation means. It's kind of a polluted term I think, in part due to that kind of usage by community colleges and the like.

I switched from web dev to semico this year and the amount of things i dont understand is huge Majority of ppl here are after electrical eng. Cs seems to be easy in compare

badRNG 4y ago

I currently work in embedded software which involves a lot of overlapping interaction with EE and hardware design folks. The consensus is that the hardest, most fascinating field is the one you currently have the least exposure to. The easiest, least exciting field is the one you have a degree in. In CS, you may have spent thousands or tens of thousands of hours across many years learning and growing, and still being limited in your understanding of the field as a whole. It's daunting to explore other related fields just to find out that they each have similar levels of complexity, filled with professionals who've sunk similar levels of effort, time, and years of their life into their work (who are often equally struck by the complexity of your field.)

netr0ute 4y ago
The grass is always greener on the other side
- actinium226 4y ago
  But sometimes that's because it's fake. Other times it has more to do with the particular brand of, ahem, fertilizer, they use. Sometimes it really is greener and your side is shit and it's time to make a change.
hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
Just curious, for a software engineer that only works with managed languages such as Java and Python, what kind of embedded job is easy to squeeze into? Thanks~~
- AnimalMuppet 4y ago
  There are a number of embedded gadgets that run on Android, complete with code in Java. (They aren't hard real-time systems, but not all embedded devices care about that.) Look for things that have a real graphical display and touchscreen.
  - hnthrowaway0315 4y ago
    Thanks! Is that different from Android/iOS development or just part of it?
    - AnimalMuppet 4y ago
      Well... it's Android (or iOS) development, but it's different. In that kind of situation, you usually own the whole device. You don't have to worry about being removed from memory because the user wanted to run some hotel's booking app or whatever - the user doesn't have the option of doing that. You may have some additional hooks that give you some control of whatever custom hardware that comes with the device. You may or may not have to drop down into native code to access those hooks. You can't develop against a standard phone or tablet. You have to have your hardware to develop against. So, yeah. It's the same... but it's different.
- badRNG 4y ago
  If you have experience with software, learning embedded concepts isn't a huge leap. At least in my area, aerospace, defense, and automotive tend to be the biggest, easiest employers to get started with. They will hire basically anyone with a solid grasp of C, OSes, and basic computer architecture (at an undergrad level.) I find embedded really rewarding. A 20 year old embedded-C code base generally follows the same design patterns and coding conventions and styles that you'd use today, and don't feel "old" or like they need to be rewritten. A 7 year old JS code base, on the other hand, is largely outdated, and may be written in a nearly extinct framework by the time it is your turn to maintain it. If you get tired of giving up time on the weekends so you can learn a new framework, consider hopping over!

nsonha 4y ago

That's very brave, from easy work high pay to hard word low pay.

hardware2win 4y ago
Thats how I do feel - that better cash and more jobs = web dev, but I feel like in semico there is way more interesting and impressive stuff. Ppl who I worked with went into more web like jobs after semico But later I'd want to work as compiler engineer
- nurspouse 4y ago
  Semiconductor theory is more interesting, but don't even consider it unless you love math and can do standard integrals without having to look up tables. Also, the mistake I made when I went to grad school: Semiconductors seemed to be a "new" field compared to the rest of EE. One of my undergrad professors said "They still haven't figured out what a standard textbook should contain." In reality, from a research standpoint, it's a very mature field. Don't expect low hanging fruit. If you're going to focus on theory, expect it'll take a number of years of dedicated study before you get to the frontier. You'll need to know quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics, and some electromagnetics, just to begin studying semiconductor theory. Then a whole bunch of specialized solid state courses. Then you start studying the specific subtopics (reading key journal papers). > But later I'd want to work as compiler engineer Why are you wasting time with semiconductors...?
  - hardware2win 4y ago
    >Why are you wasting time with semiconductors...? Because this company does both, so after I get bored with current role and prepare better, then i'll try to switch teams I didnt and still do not see easier way for me to get into comps (i may be naive), especially that i dont know cpp yet, which seems like must have in compilers world unless you go to e.g msft
  - metaphor 4y ago
    > One of my undergrad professors said "They still haven't figured out what a standard textbook should contain." At least for the analog domain, Gray et al[1] has been the standard entry-level gateway drug for longer than I care to remember. [1] https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470245999/ https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470245999/

Datenstrom 4y ago

Web development usually involves very little CS it is much closer to Software Engineering. Computer Science about solving problems with math, science, and computation theory and just happens to use computers as tools. Software Engineering is about building complete and useful programs.

goodpoint 4y ago
> Web development ... is much closer to Software Engineering Is what?!
- nsonha 4y ago
  There are still peole like this who think Software Engineering is Computer Sience it's barely even engineering
  - goodpoint 4y ago
    I would say in well known tech companies it's the opposite: software and system engineering > computer science > web development Typically softeng roles require a degree in CS or equivalent, and many years of experience on top of that. Then again, in some other companies "senior engineer" is somebody who did a 3-months bootcamp and 3 years of work. It's very unfortunate.
    - nsonha 4y ago
      is that because "computer science" is understood to be algorithms? That's like a super narrow area in it
      - smolder 4y ago
        I've encountered some "computer science" programs that barely taught people to program in Java, included classes on Microsoft Excel and Access and didn't include any advanced math. Data structures and algorithms might get a single class to satisfy interview questions about linked lists vs arrays and what Big O notation means. It's kind of a polluted term I think, in part due to that kind of usage by community colleges and the like.