Design Profile- Recent trends in EE?

Take lots of esoteric theoretical courses, but make sure never to touch a soldering gun, wire stripper, conduit bender, torque screwdriver, or any other practical device. Then you will never have to worry about being stuck in a maintenance position. And get rid of the hard hat; that's just another menial tradesman affectation.

I wanna know how to set myself apart from the crowd..so thought may be design was the way to go..

You Really don't know what you are looking for, doing maintenance is not a crowds job,They are always few in numbers in every industry and they keep all the plants across the world live, is that crowds job? They keep working around the clock when all crowd sleep,Its not lazy people job.

Nice reply Rakesh. Let him know its a job of smart people with lot of talent not only from the subject.

GA, sir.

The OP sounds a lot like me as graduation approached. I ended up unsure of what to do, had a great deal of difficulty finding work, and eventually settled for a job that was willing to train me. After about a year, the company was forced to downsize. Want to guess who found himself jobless? So there I was, unable to get a job in that field due to limited experience. Being the type to not sit on my duff and collect unemployment, I went to work as an electrician with a friend of mine; started off as the lowliest of green helpers. It was a most eye-opening experience to go from a world of drawings and software to a real world of equipment, cabling, etc. After a few years, this field work combined with my degree led to a much higher position than I'd had previously (i.e. lots more cash, growth opportunity, respect, etc). I also had some unique perspective on the design/build process of power systems. I used to go round and round with one of my engineering supervisors about things that could be left up to the field guys because he thought they were basically 'tards (ok there are some) but I know fully well that a good and experienced tech cannot be underestimated.

My point in all that is that N.O. 60 makes a great point. If you want to stand out as an engineer, put in some time out in the real world. You will return with valuable experience and information to give to a design team. And while you're out there, remember this one bit of advice: NOBODY is too good to sweep the floor.

well this certainly has given me some perspective on things..i think i'll spend the summer interning for an electrician..

thanks a lot :)

we've just been so inculcated that maintenance is a stagnant position is all .. sorry if its misleading..

any such position requires prior training.. its understandable..

what I'm asking is.. how do you get through to the right job.. and with what sort of right skills..

Become a really good analogue circuit designer.

Before one can call himself a Good designer He has to stuff the component on a general board, trim the lead. strip the wires solder it and then test it, who will do all this? He is only looking for some software or material that can make him skilled enough to sit on a big chair.

exactly! I've mentioned that I've already did all that..

i've built a hexapod.. the usual line followers.. and bots for racing..

its a little discouraging when you see how much competition is out there.. and got surprised at how many people talented with basic circuitry and robotics didnt end up in high places.. hence don't want to be one of them..

therego require change in area of interests before its too late..

Some one depending on software rather than having a thorough knowledge of how things actually work and what are the governing principles is sure to end up as IT.

Ever lasting trend is that you should (a) be an expert in at least some area and (b) in a position to independently demonstrate your strength.

Softwares are short cuts and anybody would claim expertise to it, non-software based ares such as; power system protection, automation logic, SCADA etc are in high demand and will remain highly rewarding so long as a software takes care of these areas.

Two of the skills are questioning and listening. During the interview, if the nature of the job begins to sound like IT or maintenance and that is outside the individual preferences, simply withdraw from the selection process.