On 2/24/2010 8:09 PM, Jason Hsu wrote:
> I am currently seeking a position as an embedded engineer.

Excellent!

> So far, I have picked up on embedded engineering on my own, with the
> aid of excellent microcontroller communities like this one.  I thank
> everyone who helped me through the various obstacles I ran into, and I
> can't imagine how anyone got up to speed on embedded engineering
> before there were great online communities like this one.

The internet: stay tuned, kids; it keeps getting better!

 > I understand that I have just barely scratched the surface of the
> embedded engineering world.  I know I need to learn more, as this will
> make me more productive on the job and give me more material to talk
> about in elevator speeches, cover letters, resumes, and job
> interviews.

Now you are ahead of 50% of your competition; you acknowledge that you 
are a beginner but are striving to learn.  Two thumbs up!

> Some highlights of what I've done so far are:
> 1.  All of the basic stuff in the introductory exercises (simulating,
> A/D converters, I/O pins, the open drain I/O pin, disabling LVP so
> that the normal I/O function works for that pin) with the PICSTART
> Plus programmer, PLUS the things needed for my SWR/wattmeter project
> 2.  Both Assembly language (through MPLAB) and C (through PICC in MPLAB)
> 3.  Using MPLAB in Windows XP and in antiX Linux through WINE
> 4.  PIC16F84, PIC16F72, and PIC16F872
> 5.  Unsuccessfully trying to use open source software to program
> microcontrollers in Linux: I consider the open source software route
> (GPSIM, Piklab, etc.) to be in a pre-alpha stage.  I ended up running
> MPLAB through WINE.  This setup works in antiX Linux but not in Puppy
> Linux.  (I did notice that antiX Linux has a newer version of WINE in
> its repository.)
>
> What other embedded engineering skills do I need to learn?  Until I'm
> in a situation where something else has already been chosen or a PIC
> is not viable, I intend to stick with PIC simply because that's all I
> know.  (From what I've heard, someone who knows PIC shouldn't take
> that long to get up to speed on AVR, Atmel, etc.)  Some things I'm
> aware that I haven't done yet are:
> 1.  ICSP: So far, I have only used the PICSTART Plus, which requires
> moving the microcontroller back and forth.  I know that this isn't an
> option for surface mount microcontrollers, and an ICSP setup that
> allows a connection directly to the target circuit is necessary.
> 2.  I2C, SPI, UART, etc.: Most of the ads for embedded engineering
> positions mention these standards.
>
> What else should I learn?
>

All those topics you mention can be learned project by project.  ICSP? 
Very important and easy to do.  Look through the piclist archives and 
Microchips forums (fora?) and then try it out. It's easier than it 
looks.  Olin has some good info on this topic as do many others.

By the way, when I said above 'project by project', I meant just that. 
Think of some project, even if it is only flashing an LED.  Build that 
with ICSP and you will soon learn what is involved there.  Document it; 
print out schematics and take photos of your work to show prospective 
employers.

This is something most other liberal arts majors do that engineers (or 
prospective engineers) should do: BUILD A PORTFOLIO! Show what you have 
done.  If I was just out of school and applying for a position, I would 
have the equivalent of three senior projects written up with 8 x 10 
color glossy photos with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back 
of each one PLUS at least one of the projects in my briefcase to show 
off.  That sure beats a typed resume the other 199 applicants will show 
up with.  Where they come up with nothing but buzz words, you can show 
"Yeah, this was a simple project with an LCD, a keypad and a sensor. 
Here's what it looks like..." yada yada yada.  Hiring engineers will 
want to see what you have done and having some actual hardware will make 
you look credible.

Finally: NEVER STOP. Keep doing projects.  When you get hired, you will 
slowly sink into the mud if you don't keep up.  And the best way to keep 
up is building more projects.

Good luck!









-- 
http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive
View/change your membership options at
http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist