Photo: Rubin Observatory/NSF/AURA (CC BY 4.0)
Job description
Engineers design computer hardware and support peripherals, including CPUs, custom integrated circuits, microprocessors, and devices like printers and disk drives, then build and test prototypes using working models or computer simulations. Much of the job involves conferring with other engineering staff to make sure hardware and software actually interface correctly and meet performance requirements, then writing detailed functional specifications that document the development process. Because the field moves quickly, engineers spend ongoing time keeping their technical knowledge current, and some also oversee the manufacturing and installation of the equipment they design. The work is deadline-driven and demands precision, since a flawed board or chip design can be costly to fix later.
Pros
- High upside earning potential, up to $225k, with strong pay even at entry level
- Faster than average projected growth (7.3%)
- Hands-on work building and testing physical prototypes, not just writing code
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Requires continuously updating skills to keep pace with rapid hardware advancements
- Precision is essential, since flaws in physical hardware are costly to fix after production
A typical day
The morning starts in the lab with a prototype board on the bench: the new design boots, but a signal-integrity glitch shows up on the oscilloscope at high clock speeds, and the next two hours are probing traces and comparing against the simulation that said this couldn't happen. Midday brings design work — schematic review for the next board spin, timing analysis on an FPGA block, a firmware engineer at your desk asking whether a behavior is hardware or software. An afternoon design review pits cost against performance: the cheaper memory saves a dollar a unit but eats margin the thermal budget can't spare. Ship dates are set by fab schedules, so precision now beats rework later.
Tasks at the job
- Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
- Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
- Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
- Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
- Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
- Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting, and most of the day is spent sitting at a desk.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. Precision and accuracy are essential to the work.
Education necessary or common
Bachelor's degree
Common college majors
Licenses & certifications
- FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam (optional in this field)
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Physics C: Electricity & Magnetism — the physics of every circuit
- AP Calculus BC — required math for any engineering program
- AP Computer Science A — hardware and software meet in the middle
- Electronics or Digital Electronics (PLTW) — direct hands-on preparation
- Chemistry — semiconductors and materials
Clubs, activities & competitions
- FIRST Robotics — real electronics design and debugging
- Technology Student Association (TSA) — engineering events
- Amateur radio club — analog circuits in practice
- Build a PC, then build something harder: a keyboard, a synth, an Arduino project
- Science Olympiad circuit lab event
First steps you can take now
- Buy an Arduino starter kit and complete five projects this month
- Learn to read a schematic and trace one for a simple device
- Take a free intro electronics course and build the circuits, not just watch
- Disassemble a broken gadget and identify every major component on its board
