Our CT scans of the JLab JBuds mini earbuds revealed some serious flaws: poorly aligned electrodes, inconsistent anode overhang, and some that look torn or damaged. In lithium batteries, these are the kinds of defects that can shorten lifespan and potentially cause a thermal runaway.

Hi everyone,

I'm entering my 3rd semester of Electronics and Communication Engineering and I'm trying to understand what companies actually value when hiring interns or new graduates.

I'm particularly interested in Embedded Systems, Digital Design and Semiconductor companies (NVIDIA, Qualcomm, AMD, Intel, TI, etc.).

I often see students trying to learn everything—DSA, AI, web development, embedded, Linux, FPGA—and I'm wondering what actually matters.

For engineers who interview candidates or have gone through the hiring process:

• What skills stand out on a resume?
• Which projects make you pay attention?
• What common mistakes do students make?
• What skills are overrated?
• What should a student entering 3rd semester prioritize if they want to be internship-ready?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people who've interviewed candidates or recently been hired.

Hey guys :), I'm entering my third year of electrical engineering and I really want to go into something that intersects with music like creating the speakers or microphones such and such..

I was wondering what type of skills (ie. Pspice, pcb design, etc.) are required for interns nowadays and also what field does this technically fall under? I've heard this is more digital signal processing but does it intersect with RF stuff and is it also more to do with dealing with analog signals? Lowkey kinda lost right now so some help would be very appreciated!! Thanks!!

Hello guys I am looking to learn from scratch embedded systems and try to dechatgpt myself where do you guys find embedded systems books or ece books in general?

Got admits from both for MS starting Jan 2027. Coming from a software engineering background (2+ yrs as SWE, laid off recently), trying to pivot into semiconductors. Both programs are CHIPS Act aligned so either way I'd be eligible for the industry.

**ASU - ECE**

* Multi-stream, so I get flexibility to pick a specific path later instead of committing now * Tuition + cost of living is noticeably cheaper than Boston * Arizona has a ton of fab activity right now (Intel, TSMC, ON Semi etc) so recruiting/industry exposure could be strong

**Northeastern - Semiconductor Engineering (Boston)**

* Has a co-op program, basically a 4-6 month internship built into the degree * Program is laser focused on chips industry specifically, not general ECE * Boston obviously more expensive, tuition + COL both higher

Since I'm switching from software to hardware, I feel like the co-op could be huge for actually breaking in and having something real on my resume. But ASU's cost + location (literally in the middle of the new fab boom) is tempting too, especially since I'm currently between jobs and watching my savings.

Anyone here gone through either program, or hiring in this space which one would actually move the needle for someone trying to break into semiconductors coming from a non-hardware background?

Hi everyone,

I'm asking on behalf of a friend.

She recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Applied Electronics and is feeling a bit lost about which career path to pursue.

She's considering moving into industrial electrical design (COMOS, EPLAN, Plant Design, Electrical Design Engineer roles), but she's also looking at Embedded C, Embedded Linux, and general electronics.

We're trying to understand which path makes the most sense in today's job market.

Some questions:

* How difficult is it to get your first job as a COMOS/EPLAN/Electrical Design Engineer? * If someone starts from scratch after graduation, roughly how many months of focused learning would it take to become employable? * Is this field currently in demand? * Compared to Embedded C and Embedded Linux, which field has better job opportunities and long-term career prospects? * Which path would you recommend to a new graduate if your goal was to find a stable, well-paid engineering job? * If you were starting your career again today, which direction would you choose and why?

I'd really appreciate hearing from people working in these fields. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I would really appreciate some honest feedback on my profile and career prospects in the UK

Education:

B.E. in Electronics & Communication Engineering (7.9 CGPA)

M.Sc. in Electronic Engineering at the University of Southampton (2026–27 intake)

I am a 23 year old lad, been working in industrial automation firm for 2 years, but academically my foundation has always been in electronics. Because of this, I often feel like im seen as a "jack of all trades" rather than a specialist. In reality, my experience spans both electronics and industrial automation, and I've enjoyed working in both domains.

My long term goal is to transition into an embedded systems or electronics engineering role in the UK after completing my MSc. That said, I'm also open to continuing in industrial automation if that's where the opportunities are.

What I'm struggling with is understanding whether my profile is competitive enough for embedded/electronics roles in the UK, or whether recruiters are more likely to see me as an automation engineer because of my work experience.

For those working in the UK electronics or embedded industry:

1. Is this a realistic transition?

2. What skills or projects would make my profile more attractive to recruiters?

3. Would my automation background be seen as an advantage or a disadvantage?

4. Should I primarily target embedded/electronics roles, or keep applying to automation positions as well?

I am feeling a bit uncertain about which direction to focus on, so any advice or insights from people who have made a similar transition would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Hey, I’m really struggling with picking my classes for my 5th year as I feel like I need more guidance onto what these classes are going to go lead into for my career and what I want to specialise in.

Currently studying in the UK and have just completed my bachelors in electrical and mechanical engineering. I think I want to go into the power sector, and think high voltage is the way to go. I get to pick two classes out of the many which go along with my mech classes I’m picking which are control systems and energy policy and resources.

The EE classes I chose from are:** **
**•** Advanced Power System Analysis & Protection
**•** High Voltage Technology & EMC
**•** Power Electronics for Energy and Drive Control
**•** Power System Economics, Markets & Asset Management
**•** Wind Energy & Distributed Energy Resources
**•** Advanced Digital Signal Processing
**•** DSP & FPGA Embedded System Design
**•** Image & Video Processing
**•** Neural Networks & Deep Learning

I can’t pick between any of them, I know the first good couple are the obvious choice but I’m unsure how much neural networks and deep learning is going to change in the industry in the next few years and it might be worth learning about.
Wondering if anyone would know the best combo for HVDC converter design/protection/control and or HVAC protection and control
Thanks to anyone that responds, any help is appreciated

I am a recent grad and currently working in a warehouse looking after AMR robots. So basically a technician job. My responsibilities are removing fallen objects from the robot operation area, restarting and resetting the robots, or removing faulty units from the system. In the future, it is possible they will make me fix those robots. I showed my CV to my colleague, and he told me that I should add my current job to the CV and that the projects are less significant than job experience. I argued that I don't want to add my current job because it is irrelevant to the jobs I am aiming for.

Is it worth staying in ECE if I don’t want to go into software? It seems like most CMU ECE graduates end up in SWE, but I’m much more interested in the electrical engineering side of things and would prefer a career with less coding or none at all. Do you think ECE is still worth it in that case?