Entry Level BSECE work, Embedded Systems

I am a recent college graduate (2006) who took a job as an inside sales engineer straight out of college, but who now feels the need to switch into something more design oriented. However, I'm having trouble finding entry level work. I enjoy programming and have taken an interest in Embedded Systems, but that seems to be the hardest career to get jump started. Does anyone have some good suggestions?

‹ MBA IT Grad new to Austin, looking for position New to Austin - Seeking employment in the area of Project Mgnt, Quality or IT Support ›

Comments

csg2's picture

I am in a similar situation.

Submitted by csg2 on Mon, Aug 16 2010 - 8:34 AM.

I am in a similar situation. I had intended to go into embedded systems out of college and got into a job which did not have oppurtunity for that. It is very hard to switch into this path once you have gotten off track. You have a better chance since you graduated more recently then I.

Networking is probably the best thing for you to do. It is unlikely that your resume will have the buzzwords needed to get by the HR gatekeepers. So you need another path to the hiring manager.

When you network, try as much as possible to hang out with embedded system guys.

Be prepared for networking to pay off over the course of years.

While you are waiting, go and learn about RTOS. This is the primary buzzword I see when people are hiring for embedded systems.

Consider joining a non paying gig in order to get experience. You can put it on your resume whether you got paid or not. Check out sourceforge or openhardware.org or other collaboration sites for likely projects.

porphius9's picture

I also am in a similar

Submitted by porphius9 on Mon, Aug 16 2010 - 10:44 PM.

I also am in a similar situation

I think that open source jobs might be at a minimum considering the nature of embedded systems. They are usually quite propietary if I am not mistaken.

However I think with embedded systems you start off with small projects, such as contract positions, before working yourself into a full-fledged position. Does anyone else think this way?

cjcabral13's picture

In my experience, the

Submitted by cjcabral13 on Mon, Aug 23 2010 - 7:11 AM.

In my experience, the easiest way to switch careers, or positions, is internally within a company. If you communicate your career goals and desires with your manager, he/she may be able to help you. Or, you could search for jobs internal to the company. This may be more attractive to a hiring manager since he/she can see your previous job ratings and see that you are a good employee and be willing to guide you through the learning phase.