An idiot's guide to choosing a career path in the ECE industry

Looking for a job just made me realize how broad the scope of the ECE industry is. I didn't know it would be this hard to pick a career path I want to go to. First jobs are turning points of our lives. In the beginning, your grades would matter (for some) and your extra-curriculars, licenses and certifications would be a big addition to your chances of employment. You get to prove something by getting work experiences. It's in your first job where your professional career begins so make the most out of it. But how?


Choose a concentration, one where you're good at, develop it and you'll never even realize you're working...just enjoying.

At first, you don't have the right to be picky on companies, especially when it comes to pay. All we need to care about is the experience we're getting. But of course, experience from where? For all I know, once you enter a career path, it's hard to move to another, and you'd be back to square one again.


I had this "lost" phase after the boards so I've been doing a lot of thinking about career paths and which ones I'm taking so I decided to make a self guide. Two categories make up my "made-up" list of careers under the ECE industry: electronics and communications. I'm writing this down so other confused people like me who can find this blog can also go through my "made-up" list and possibly figure out what they want. 


First, I've narrowed the possible functions of an ECE down to six.

1. Research, Design & Development
2. Manufacturing
3. Consultation
4. Government
5. Engineering Management
6. Teaching

I actually wanted a career in manufacturing, project management and probably RD&D, the last being the least priority. In (1), you create the technology. In (2), you develop what the RD&D delivers and you monitor production lines and processes. (3) and (6) both include utilization of technical know-hows while (4) and (5) both involve technical and project management skills.

In case you choose none of the above: study again and pursue a masters degree/PhD

But, of course, these are still too broad --- there are a lot of companies that can offer such things. After a lot of thinking, I ended up dividing again but this time in terms of the field.

Electronics

• Semiconductors
• Microelectronics
• Hardware Engineering
• Software Engineering
• Instrumentation & Control Systems
• Signal Processing

In the electronics industry, having no license is just alright but a license would also help you enter some companies. Everything in electronics and communications can fall under RD&D. The technology we have at the moment is always in the hands of people in the RD&D industry, including the ones we use in manufacturing. Semicon and microelectronics can also be included under manufacturing. Instrumentation and control systems are the main focus in manufacturing since these involves the machineries, equipments and other cutting edge technology used in production of whatever you can think of.

Telecommunications

• Fiber Optics
• Radio/TV Broadcasting
• Networking

In my opinion, the telco industry is probably the most expensive career path to choose. First and foremost, you'll never grow in this industry UNLESS you are a CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate), CCIE or have any other Cisco/Juniper/Windows certification. Most major telco companies such as PLDT, Smart, and Globe wouldn't notice you if you don't have such things.

Getting a Cisco certification would cost you around PHP50k (including review, application and other fees). But hello, that is just for the first level. To get to the next, you have to spend money again and again and again.

A friend of mine found something in the internet about a CCNA bootcamp with free flowing coffee for 40 hours at PHP31k. This is for the review only. Who in the Philippines would pay for that amount just to review? Of course, the rich. Sigh. Kaya yung mga mayaman lang tuloy ang lalong umuunlad eh. Maunlad na nga sila lalo pang umuunlad.

It's really an investment, I think. In the end, both the career growth and the pay in telcos would be worth-it.


...or we could also add another category aside from electronics and communications: information technology. Most people say the growth in the IT industry is faster and the pay is higher. Picture a person in the electronics/telco industry working for 8 years already and a person in the IT industry working for only 2 years --- and they'd have almost the same pay. For this reason, many people shift to the IT industry. But, well, it's all about choices.

We can also put it in terms of the kind of satisfaction you're looking for. RD&D, consultation and teaching would suffice intellectual satisfaction. If you're looking for the real deal work force, then manufacturing would be the best industry to fill that need.



At this point in time, I figured that I want to try entering the electronics industry, probably in an RD&D and/or manufacturing company related to semiconductors and microelectronics...and not pursue a career in telecommunications because, good heavens, it's so expensive. It's easier to look for a job now that it's narrowed down.

But, but, but...

The possibilities are endless for everybody. Whether you're picking a career in RD&D, manufacturing, consultation, teaching, government or project management, always choose what you want and not what you need.