Electrical vs Computer Hardware Engineering

[WaitingForNehalem]

Looking at Intel's job postings they'll take either and since EE offers a variety of fields to enter I am leaning towards that side. What would be a better major to choose for CPU/GPU design?

 

[waffleironhead]

Hmm.
CPU? nope
overclock? nope


might want to try ot...

 

[Idontcare]

You won't realize the true value of your degree until you are laid off and looking for employment in the next downturn.

With an EE you can take on a lot of alternative industry jobs when that inevitable day comes to your future career.

Computer hardware degree kind of implies you have one industry to pursue employment in (i.e. computers), and the last thing you'll want at that time is to have your resume being stacked up and compared with other equally desperate job seekers who do have an EE.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

 

[ChaosDivine]

Originally posted by: Idontcare
Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

+infinity. The only words to live by.

 

[madvad]

I'd go with EE, just pick up some electronic/circuit courses, better yet a minor in comp engineering, if there's such a thing.

I wouldn't necessarily restrict myself to a specific major based on a single employer's job listing -- life/career is way too unpredictable, who knows what you'll be doing when you graduate college and, like others said, what you'll be doing years after that. So my advice is don't not narrow your options. For instance, you may want to get into patent law, and EE is greatly valued in that field.

 

[Lord Banshee]

I was in the same position 4 years ago and i picked EE due to the reason above (not restricted to one field), but what i did do is most of my engineering electives i took many hardware design classes. At my school EE vs CE was mostly that for all required EE classes, CE took software classes. So where i had Communications or Electromagnetic Fields, CE would take a software engineering type class such as Data patterns or OS theory. I think we had 6 EE elective classes to choose from I choose 4/6 in the digital design (CE) type of hardware design classes. It has now been a little longer than a year since i have graduated with my BS in EE and have been working at Intel since then, and I still think EE was the better choice for me

BTW these questions are better to be posted in Highly Technical section, many EEs/CEs/College Students post these types of questions and other related ones there.

(**Not speaking for any company**)

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: waffleironhead
Hmm.
CPU? nope
overclock? nope


might want to try ot...

Well, it has to do with CPU design. MODs please move this to HT.

 

[Cookie Monster]

Depends on the level of abstraction your interested in doing.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
Depends on the level of abstraction your interested in doing.

Please elaborate.

 

[Eureka]

Originally posted by: Cookie Monster
Depends on the level of abstraction your interested in doing.

Well the level of abstraction is really what separates a lot of the computer-related majors anyway...

EE is a lot more versatile, since you share all the basic knowledge of a CE, but is still qualified enough to find another field lest you suddenly find yourself hating the computer industry. And then there's concentration, minor, or second/graduate degrees to help you pursue a more specific field, no?

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: Idontcare
You won't realize the true value of your degree until you are laid off and looking for employment in the next downturn.

With an EE you can take on a lot of alternative industry jobs when that inevitable day comes to your future career.

Computer hardware degree kind of implies you have one industry to pursue employment in (i.e. computers), and the last thing you'll want at that time is to have your resume being stacked up and compared with other equally desperate job seekers who do have an EE.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.

It's also worth noting that you work experience will start to become more of a factor than your degree as you progress through your career. Making a transition such as what Idontcare is describing will become more difficult as time goes on because your work experience will be focused on one particular industry.

Employers in a different industry might be reluctant to hire you because they won't be able to justify paying you the salary you were making in your old position since you don't have that kind of experience in the new industry. I suppose you could apply for entry level positions in a new industry, but my guess is the company would prefer to hire people whose age is more in line with the entry level position.

 

[Isura]

What year are you in? Most programs don't make you specialize until 3rd year. It really doesn't matter much. Choose what you like and work hard. Get job experience in the summers. Do extra-curricular projects. The knowledge from extra projects and internships will shine through in your interviews a lot more than the exact degree qualification.

 

[WaitingForNehalem]

Originally posted by: Isura
What year are you in? Most programs don't make you specialize until 3rd year. It really doesn't matter much. Choose what you like and work hard. Get job experience in the summers. Do extra-curricular projects. The knowledge from extra projects and internships will shine through in your interviews a lot more than the exact degree qualification.

12th grade