So what is your job?

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First off, Semper Fi to all the jarheads. 8)

The only engineering degree I have so far is the Combat Engineer position I had in the USMC....yup... they taught me how to build things then blow them up....along with being able to hit a man-size target at 500meters with bare sites.

Changed careers from automotive tech to electronics(17 years ago), an AAS will get you in the door of most semiconductor businesses but a little talent with hardware or software will take you farther.

My suggestion is to try to find a job you like that won't be outsourced to India or Asia about a year after you optimize your process.
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I don't know of what position in semiconductor industry are you talking about. But I know that there are 40k people working for my company which is one of the big players in the industry and there is noone with AAS, moreover BS is considered low, I would say the normal distribution is 30% with BS, 55% with MS and the rest have PhDs. I might be wrong but based on my knowledge of this industry the only place where you can work with AAS is "Mom and Dad" electronics repair store...

I'm not taking Military and Government into consideration, they are well known for the "beatiful minds" and blasing their own bunkers with "top of the line technology. And think of it this way - the more you know, the more you get paid, that's why military and government jobs don't pay much. If you would check officer's pay grade with 15 years of service and compare it to new college hire from a small start-up, guess what...
 
I am a Senior Technical Lead for a Fortune 100 company...

I have been involved in a myriad of jobs in the IT sector. From Satellite Jockey or I guess you could call me an Orbital Analyst (flew satellites for the military for 9 years) to Senior Manager of IT for the Public Highway Authority.

From having NO reports to having approximately 80+ reports and now back to 2 whole reports :) (my choice to take the tech side of the house again).

As far as money goes I make enough 😉 Maybe a little more than the median from the last 6 pages 😉.

I would say to folks though,

If you are in the market to enter IT you would be very well served to have some form of UNIX under your belt. Administration of UNIX based systems is a great starting job that will pay decently until you choose to take the next step.

Also, I have interviewed many many people that just finished MCSE, MCP, and other boot camps that ensure you will pass the test and get your cert. Those boot camps promise you 60K+ to start with any one of those certifications.. Possibly even better if you have two or more. IT IS FALSE!! I have had many people turn down 45K to start, with phenomenal benefits because the community college sold them a false bill of goods. You may find that 65K job but they are very rare..

Now pay attention!! THE ONLY CERTIFICATION THAT WILL REMOTELY OFFER A LARGER STARTING SALARY is the CCNA/E.

If you are in college I very much recommend that you intern at a major company (some will pay you as an intern and also pay for your school as long as you give them the first 2 - 4 years of your professional life).

This is a great opportunity and it gets your foot in the door. You may only make 45K a year for the first few years but your earning potential POST college and post internship will be MUCH greater.

As far as which way to go!! Any job can be GOOD or BAD.. My favorite job was with the Public Highway Authority... As a Senior Manager of IT I actually got to spend time outdoors. Great job but too far from home..

Hope this helps the OP decide.
 
Graduated about a year ago with a BS in Computer Engineering. Currently working for a major Teleco equipment provider. Officially I'm a software engineer at one of their R&D centers, though for the last two weeks I might as well be a system architect. Haven't coded a line, but been working on how to interface an APG with a blade cluster. Pays not bad for a year out of school. A little under 60K a year plus up to 12% annual salery bonus, though it's usually closer to 10%.
 
Well i have some college under my belt, wanted to be an electrical engineer. But when i took calculus and physics i realized that i didnt want to be doing that stuff for the rest of my life. Loved taking the chemistry though, was close to start on that path by taking organic chem but chose against it to work for a mining company because they pay about 30k a year to start and in under a year im already up to about 50k (could be 100k with overtime). But i am using this job to try and get into real estate and am currently about to close a deal on 2 houses at the same time (bye bye bank account). Bottom line if you like math (alot in most engineering degrees) you would prolly be good for an engineering degree. if you still arent sure when you get to college start out by taking mainly gen ed and experiment with classes that interest you, i did that and loved it, graphics classes were awsome but golf was by far the best class ever.
 
Student. Electrical Engineering @ ASU, hopefully i only have a year away from my bachelor degree (even though i seriously doubt it)

P.S. I wonder what's BM's job... could be very interesting.
 
Viper,

The BM is a Software Developer/Custodial Engineer.

In fact he is the best ever .net developer there is..

I think he works for IntelimicroAMDsoft.

Oh he is also an independent consultant who makes millions...( Is this the custodial engineer part?) :)

Hey Baron did I get that right?
 
I also am somewhat surprised by the level of tech knowledge in this forum.But although I drive a taxi,I love computers and am slowly getting my MCSE qualifications.Probably take me a year or two more,but once I have it I should be good to go.I want to move somehwere that is not here in Canada,but I need something that is needed in other countries around the world,and once I'm certified,I can go anywhere.I just figured a Microsoft certified systems engineer certificate should open doors for me anywhere.As for what money you want to make,well different companies offer different wages and benefits,so I'm going to go for the one that offers the best of bothe in whatever country I am in.And in case you have not figured it out,I LOVE GAMING.I guess for you,just do what makes you happy.And although your stepmom was somewhat right about more responsibility with more money,it does not have to cause more stress.That my good friend is why we hire accountants.LOL.let them have the stress.later dude.

Dahak

AMD X2-4400+@2.6 S-939
EVGA NF4 SLI MB
2X EVGA 7950GT KO IN SLI
4X 512MB CRUCIAL BALLISTIX DDR500
WD300GIG HD
ACER 22IN WIDESCREEN LCD 1600X1200
THERMALTAKE TOUGHPOWER 850WATT PSU
COOLERMASTER MINI R120
3DMARK05 13,471
 
I am 43, for the last 11 years I have been working in a landfill site, operating the gas extraction system and waste water treatment plan. I got formal training in water treatment but I also got a B. Sc. in psychology.
 
Hopefully, I am going to enter computer engineering because I love technology. I get the highest marks in physics and computers ( chaosgs, keep in mind physics is important for CE), but my problem lies in mathematics ( I try hard but dont seem to do well. I am looking forward to specializing in 3d ASIC desgin, just a small question. Do the universties normally teach this, or do I have to study it myself, or after I graduate, the company i work for is supposed to teach it.
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If you want to do Computer Architecture, buy this book: "Computer Architecture: A Quantitative Approach" by John L. Hennessy and David A. Patterson.

It's the bible of computer architecture and worth every penny.

If you want to learn the basics of 3D Graphics pipelines, try this one "Fundamentals of Computer Graphics" by Peter Shirley. It's a very clear and concise description of how the theory behind graphics works.

Graphics stuff requires that you know linear algebra and trigonometry. If you are fine with those, then you're golden.

If you want to do design work, you'll need to learn a hardware description language (HDL). Few people in the US use VHDL for design, it's too strict and can slow down the designer. Verilog is much simpler and more common for design. The language is easy, but the design concepts are not so easy. Anyways, here's a good tutorial for Verilog: http://www.asic-world.com/verilog/veritut.html

Anyone interested in ASIC design will want to take a Computer Architecture class in college. Usually they will go over basic digital design and HDL coding. Some classes however will expect you to learn VHDL or Verilog on your own.
 
Gianti,

I never said he could get in the door of a semiconductor company as an engineer with an AAS but I bet he could get a start in a semiconductor company doing engineering support work with an AAS then get a BS with educational assistance from the company he's employed at....rather than go to school and incur mass quantities of debt which he will then have to pay off with his starting engineer salary.

I currently make more than entry level engineers at my company (which is ranked 5 overall on the planet by independent sources), but I am limited in the career path here by my current level of education. That doesn't seem to have stopped me from getting patents and trade secrets though. And I will be using company educational assistance to get me the BS needed to advance higher.
 
I've seen some "engineers" that surely had to be good at writing test programs because they couldn't solder anything without burning themselves and what ever they were working on.

I once saw an engineer use a DMM to try to measure the value of a fuse, I don't know if he ever figured it out... I had to leave or laugh. :twisted:
 
Blunc,

C'mon now.. Everyone knows you can't teach a Jarhead anything... Us Air Force people know that for sure. 😉

Nothing like an inter service rivalry :) ( Blunc notice that I did not use the word INTRA) That would imply inside of a single service :)...

Figured I had to spell it out for ya :)

You know I am kidding ....

I have the utmost respect for ANY and ALL services..

So with that said, Isn't the Marines a branch of the Navy? :)
 
PSU is cool.

Oh,and to u soccer guys.
Its ref-ing like U-10.
Im taking the course now 😉

and i think i can ref any kind of USSF games, At least in PA.

like U-18 games are like 60 bux

cause the U-10 are only like fitty mins.
 
well...to borrow a line from Heartbreak Ridge, "Marines improvise, adapt and overcome."

Yup, the Marines are a branch of the Navy, they needed someone that could kick ass and not bother with the names.

(the above comment takes into account that there are "special forces" groups...Marine and otherwise... out there which do things I am glad I never had to do, my hat is off to you, very much respect for the guys that do the dirty work that no one gets to hear about.0
 
Lol @ 6 bucks. A girl I know is a ref for high school and higher and she gets about $40 bucks for 90 minute games.
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Wow I really got ripped.

And you haven't even seen the pros...a World Cup Referee gets 33k euros (=~ USD 45k) for each game and 50k euros (=~ USD 70k) for the final.

Well, you are kidding right? I have 3 referees in my class and they get €100 for game in the 3rd national division...
A 1st national division referee gets €500/game. So, I imagine how well payed gets an international referee in international competitions.

PS: Qual outra azul? Tou mm baralhado 😳
 
On the other hand look at it this way... no job is fun (not talking about art and music etc) . You are selling yourself for money, so go very they pay you more and at the end of the day it all that metters.
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Hey my job is usually fun!

I am 46 a Fellow Engineeer (PE Electrical for those concerned) making 110K designing motors and magnets for DOD high energy applications.
Took a technical job again after being an engineering manager for 8 years because management just seemd to suck all the fun out of the job.
 
I don't know if it's intentional, but you proved my point. You don't NEED the expensive things. You may want (your word) or desire them, but you certainly don't NEED them. And I maintain that expensive things do not equate to happiness 😀
 
To people who think money dosent equal happiness such as Bill Gates, all i have to say is.....You DONT know how to spend it. if i had even $1 billion id be happy give to my friends and family (not all of it) go to awesome places like cancun and etc. go home play top notch games. Pay unix (if i had more than 1 billion) to actually make a good game that has the things i want in it.

Money buys you happiness. It bought you a wife (if you are married), cant take her on a date broke can you not to mention her ring.
Bought you the computer your using now.

Limitless possibilities. I love the evil thing called money.
 
very interssant people in this site..........for my part, i m a independant trader in the financial markets....a way to work at home, freely..the rest of the time, i m an hobbyist in electronics, both digital an analogic systems...
 
First off, Semper Fi to all the jarheads. 8)

The only engineering degree I have so far is the Combat Engineer position I had in the USMC....yup... they taught me how to build things then blow them up....along with being able to hit a man-size target at 500meters with bare sites.

Changed careers from automotive tech to electronics(17 years ago), an AAS will get you in the door of most semiconductor businesses but a little talent with hardware or software will take you farther.

My suggestion is to try to find a job you like that won't be outsourced to India or Asia about a year after you optimize your process.
Click to expand...

I don't know of what position in semiconductor industry are you talking about. But I know that there are 40k people working for my company which is one of the big players in the industry and there is noone with AAS, moreover BS is considered low, I would say the normal distribution is 30% with BS, 55% with MS and the rest have PhDs. I might be wrong but based on my knowledge of this industry the only place where you can work with AAS is "Mom and Dad" electronics repair store...

I'm not taking Military and Government into consideration, they are well known for the "beatiful minds" and blasing their own bunkers with "top of the line technology. And think of it this way - the more you know, the more you get paid, that's why military and government jobs don't pay much. If you would check officer's pay grade with 15 years of service and compare it to new college hire from a small start-up, guess what...

Ive been an officer for 14 years going on 15. As an O4, I make $96K a year. If you look at the officers pay charts, you only get half the story. What the pay grade/years in service charts dont tell you are BAH, the basic allowance for housing, BAS, basic allowance for sustenance, Incentive pays such as ACIP, aviation crew incentive pay and perdiem based on where and what you are doing, plus travel allowances. Additionally, $400k sevicemans group life insurance costs $28 per month, plus free medical dental and working uniforms. Dress uniforms come out of pocket but are tax deductable for Os, enlisted get uniform allotments.

Until recently, military pay was capped at $100k. Assuming I promote to O5, I will be making over $100K. If I am serving in a combat zone, it will be tax free.

I dont think the military sounds as bad as you do, and I take offence at your comments at negative implications as to our minds. I will gladly compare IQs with you anytime.
 
ok,
19-24, $14-21k electronics tech , good coworkers and bad management ,military subcontractor ,after 1 year tech school [builds apple 2 kit]
25-26. , $10k unemployed, failure of Reganomics and above management
27-32, $24-42k. hay military electronics sub contractors pay good , worked my way to senoir lead group leader with 16 people ,buys house. [ripped off on my only purchased computer 386DX ]
33 $13k[see 25 ]unemployment pays for A+ cert , odd jobs , started lawn business, learnig tax codes
34-39, $22k [see 19] but now I'm sandblasting,[MB upgrade 486X4]
39 $6k. ,[see 25]
34-45, $18-26k ,lawn business, learnig tax codes,happy , disc gulf anyone [MB upgrade to 233, then CPU to 500]happy .
43-48, $21K , Electronics Manufactorig Service ,an interesting job, we build your stuff for you. Took the job for more money.. 2years into it suffered a severe medical problem. Lost house,can't work in the sun so gave up lawn business. Employer has been accomadating.[new Computer build at age 45][next build2yrs away or cheap quad or $ from ?.].

20-20 looking back .. more education=more chances for more $
But happiness or contentment comes from inside . for me this is Jesus/God ,frisbee,reading,and repairing old computers for neighbors,and gardening. . .
Best of Luck..
 
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