Question for the ECE majors...

[50]

Hello all,

I will be entering my 3rd year at Georgia Tech and have almost all the course options open for me now that I've finished microelectronics. I really have no clue as to what field of ECE I want to pursue and was wondering how you guys knew what you wanted to do. So far the only classes I have taken related to specializations are DSP, Electromagnetics, and microelectronics. I really did not enjoy DSP that much because of the labs we had to do and programming with MATLAB (I do not enjoy programming much at all). Emag was alright but I'm not really sure it's right for me. Micro was pretty good but it felt like an overwhelming amount of information for one semester and I'm not sure I truly enjoyed it.

The choices for specializations are CompE, DSP, Electric Power, Emag, Electronic Design and Apps, Microsystems, Optics and Photonics, Systems and controls, Telecom, and Bioengineering.

My main problem is that I will be going abroad in the spring so I really only have one semester to figure out what I want to do and then take my senior level classes next fall. I was thinking about VLSI design and Computer communications (networking). I think I would enjoy classes which apply to articles I read on AT about microprocessors. Honestly, I think I would be most interested in learning about technologies I read about everyday (ie Bluetooth, wifi, CPU fabrication, etc). Does anyone have any comments or suggestions?

 

[ksheets]

If I had my choice to go back I would probably go for either Optics or Bio engineering (depending on what it covered). Instead I focused most of my concentration on the progamming side of my ECE, which in hindsight was kind of a waste of time IMO.

Oh and I remember the labs in the one VLSI class I had to take as some of the most frustrating times of my undergrad career...interesting stuff, just a little over my head at the time.

 

[duragezic]

I did a general concentration, so I took a variety of electives. Mostly interested in embedded programming, which I took some of but should have taken more (like more control systems). I also took a VLSI design class and did great it in, but I already knew I wasn't going to be doing that at a major company with my degree and skills so I didn't bother with anymore (there wasn't much other classes on it).

 

[Born2bwire]

I was a CompE and I specialized in digital logic and electromagnetics. I ended up concentrating more on EM, got a physics minor (a whole three extra classes) and I'm doing computational electromagnetics as my graduate research.

 

[vshah]

i did embedded systems...that's where i had the most fun

 

[JohnCU]

electric power, seems fun, kinda got sucked into I&C though so i don't do big voltage stuff. pretty damn good job stability.

 

[Gibson486]

Originally posted by: JohnCU
electric power, seems fun, kinda got sucked into I&C though so i don't do big voltage stuff. pretty damn good job stability.

yeah...I&C is boring as hell. I am trying Electric power now....it is still boring. I guess it is the nature of the industry, not the job.


I ended up doing a general EE Degree. MOst of the time, you end up doing the stuff you hate the most for a job.

 

[JohnCU]

Originally posted by: Gibson486

Originally posted by: JohnCU
electric power, seems fun, kinda got sucked into I&C though so i don't do big voltage stuff. pretty damn good job stability.

yeah...I&C is boring as hell. I am trying Electric power now....it is still boring. I guess it is the nature of the industry, not the job.

yeah not very high tech most of the time.

well i take that back, some of it is pretty high tech just in general.

 

[TuxDave]

I spent 80% of my time in analog VLSI design and 20% digital VLSI design. Sadly I'm now doing 100% digital VLSI design at work. pffftt...