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Testimonials
Why should I enter the electronics industry?
"There are endless opportunities to grow and develop in the electronics industry. It is ever changing and the challenges never go away. There is constant push to make electronics smaller, faster and lighter. Our capabilities have to move to the speed of a consumer’s dream."
"Electronics are the future. If you are looking for a career that will always be in demand, the electronics industry is for you."
"Working in the electronics industry is a blast. There is never a dull moment. Technology is moving so quickly, the challenge to keep up is engaging and exciting."
"There are so many opportunities in the electronics industry you can be anything from a manufacturing engineer working to implement Industry 4.0 to a RF engineer designing communication systems for the latest satellites. And these opportunities span many different product types including military/defense, space, automotive, medical, and commercial."
"Since electronics are prevalent and so embedded in our daily lives, the electronics industry is crucial, stable, and rapidly growing. Students who desire to learn, innovate, and impact the world on various scales can be fulfilled here."
"Whereas many majors leave students without significant job prospects or career direction, electronics professionals are in demand, offered higher-than-average salaries, and the individuals have the opportunity to be at the forefront of technology."
"Students should enter the electronics industry if they are seeking a technically challenging, fast-paced job that always keeps them on the cutting edge of technology. Students will find themselves surrounded by industry leading experts who are motivated to help them succeed and grow into an ever-expanding industry."
"Students should consider the electronics industry because there are plenty of areas where you can grow your career. It’s constantly changing, and there is always something new to learn. On top of that, jobs in electronics tend to have great stability because the industry is so critical to providing today’s technology."
"Right now in the electronics industry there is a lot of room for growth and development. There are a lot of older generations in the workforce that have a wealth of knowledge that they are ready to share with the newer generations. It is a great opportunity to start a career and learn and grow into different roles."
"The electronics industry has an opportunity for all types of interests. Whether it be designing computers, creating software, or deciding which materials to build with and test them in the lab, every facet of science, engineering, and business development have a home in the electronics industry. There is no opportunity of interest that can’t find a home, which is a fantastic way to continue to find ways to develop and grow interests and career."
"The electronics industry provides an avenue for a wide ranges of materials coming together. On any given day it could be dealing with composites, plastics, metals or a number of other materials. The dynamic environment of the electronics industry also challenges an engineer every day to stay on top of changes to components and how they ultimately impact the changes to the product."
"You will never get bored in the electronics industry. There are always new, cutting-edge technologies being developed that push the boundaries of possibility."
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What opportunities are in the electronics industry?
"The best way to learn about opportunities in the electronics industry is to find a mentor in the industry. Mentors will introduce you to standards committees, new technologies and companies that you may not have otherwise found."
"Look around you. You’ll notice that more and more of everything around you is either electronic or made by electronics. We are in a technological age that is being driven by advances in electronics."
"You are not alone. Many people assume the electronics industry is solely based overseas. But there are so many fantastic opportunities state side! Follow some electronics companies on LinkedIn so that you can be more aware of when opportunities come up."
"Opportunities with companies like Apple or Tesla may be obvious because these are products we see everyday, but it is unbelievable how big the electronics industry is and how many companies that are involved but you may have never heard of. There are hundreds of companies including ones that design the manufacturing equipment, the ones the produce the dielectric material, the copper foil, the chips that go on the circuit boards, all the way to the ones the design the test equipment involved, there is a lot of behind the scenes work that is done for an end product to hit the market."
"There are so many opportunities! The use of electronics is so universal that you can find opportunities in other industries as well, such as bio-technology, defense, and aerospace.
Students definitely should reach out to those they know that are in the industry to better understand their roles and see whether there are open positions they can offer or introduce. If they do not know anyone, the students’ schools should have a career center that holds networking events and job/internship fairs."
"Prior to understanding the opportunities that electronics and engineering present, I was intimidated by a technical career because I thought I had to be mechanically-inclined to do well. I now understand that the field of electronics offers many opportunities in varied industries. If a person doesn’t like one type of job or doesn’t feel confident in a particular area of technology, there will be many more jobs in completely different realms so that individual just needs to find the area of most interest."
"The rapid growth of the electronics industry creates the opportunity for students to enter a workplace with multiple doors wide open, allowing them to find the right fit and quickly work their way up to leadership roles."
"I would say there are more opportunities in the electronics industry than you would suspect. At first glance, I did not see the connection between my focus, chemical engineering, and electronics. Even if you do not think your field is relevant, I encourage you to look deeper and network with companies involved in electronics. Many companies are looking to bring the younger generation into the industry – especially in printed circuit board manufacturing."
"I would say that it is never too late to get interested and involved in this industry. There are so many ways to get started, even during your education. Getting involved and learning what the industry is all about during school is a great way to get more comfortable with what the workforce is like once you graduate and if you could see yourself in the industry!"
"Look at the world we live in today. Everything in some way is connected to electronics. Whether it’s how your clothes are made, how you make a purchase, or using your phone to buy online- every step of every manufacturing process uses electronics in some way, shape or form to create and sell goods. At this point we have reached an age of digitization, and electronics have impacted the globe on all levels."
"There is a demand for engineering of all kinds as I know chemical, mechanical, electrical, aerospace, industrial, materials and many other types of engineers who have in demand positions within all electronics businesses. Electronics is at the core of most businesses now, whether embedded in the products, driving the communication, pushing the social media posts or any number of other avenues."
"Utilize resources from industry-leading organizations like IPC. IPC’s Education Foundation provides many opportunities for the next generation to get involved in the electronics industry. Also, leverage social media to build a large network and keep up-to-date with the industry."
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What are the most important trends in this field?
"One of my favorite trends is the push towards more automation. Factory 4.0 is one of the hottest topics in the industry and one that excites an up and coming engineer as myself."
"Automation is going to play a key role in the future; more and more jobs and people are being replaced by electronics and machines. This makes it even more crucial to have working knowledge of electronics to be able to understand and shape the future."
"Manufacturing is an important area, especially with global vulnerabilities we have seen the last few years between the pandemic and war, I think companies are going to look at ways to reduce risk of having a supply chain spanning so far across the globe and look to keep things closer to home where possible and I think that will lead to an increase in need for manufacturing engineers domestically."
"Rising interest in artificial intelligence, virtual/augmented reality, space transportation, and sustainability leads to developments in the electronics industry. If any of these interest future talent, this industry can be best fit for their growth and contributions."
"Chasing students by offering the highest salary has never been my strategy. Students should also consider overall work experience, which includes access to top managers, potential for growth, support of management, and bonus upside."
"One of the most important trends in the industry right now is automation. With labor being harder to find, the industry is looking for ways to increase efficiency and productivity. This gives an opportunity for future talent to come in and identify, design and implement new systems within a process or facility."
"Growth. There is always the next big thing. Whether it’s the next universal charger for phones or the next commercial satellite for spaceflight, there will always be a new opportunity to create new ideas and work with teams to challenge the current industry standards and push the world forward in the name of innovation. Innovation is the key to developing the future, and there will always be someone willing to support the journey to innovate."
"The dynamics of the electronics industry is what drives many other businesses (automotive, aerospace, etc.) Currently a shortage of chips from the electronics industry is causing shortages in automotive industry. The need continues to grow for crucial sensors and electronic devices and will be home to jobs for the foreseeable future for many engineers."
"Disruptive technologies can change the way our world works. New developments with additive manufactured electronics are very exciting and are pushing the electronics industry to a new era."
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What skills are needed for future job opportunities in the industry?
"I would suggest students have a toolbox of problem-solving skills to help with the engineering portion of the job. Even with an ability to solve problems well, communication skills will go a long way in ensuring their ideas are understood."
"We want to avoid the “black box problem” where we know the input and output, but have no idea what has to happen in between to get from the input to the output. Knowing how electronics work and the processes that go into producing them will unlock countless doors from now to the future. This knowledge allows you to solve problems that others cannot, opening up limitless job opportunities."
"Networking is a critical skill for finding new job opportunities. Early in your career I think it is important to try and get experience in different areas and as your career progresses you can start to narrow in on an area you are passionate about. Having a good network will help you find different opportunities whether they be internship opportunities with different companies, or if it is a larger company there may be multiple opportunities within that company."
"Learn and adapt from failures and what was attempted to achieve the goal.
Take responsibility for one’s actions.
Perseverance, good teamwork, and internal drive are all important for success."
"While there are many skills of value in the industry, I would rate skills such as proficiency in spreadsheets and typing at the top of the list along with perseverance and hard-work ethic. While typing is not necessarily even taught in schools these days, engineers still write daily emails and sometimes larger reports that would be accomplished more efficiently with typing proficiency. Mastery of spreadsheets is also a must for handling data competently, while minimizing task completion timing."
"Students need to learn time-management, effective communication, statistical analysis skills, and leadership skills."
"The skills that you are going to need throughout the industry are going to vary depending on your role. Skills that I think can benefit everyone in the industry are coding and technical writing. Anyone who plans to go into a technical position should know one programming language. Having experience with a programming language can be useful for solving problems. Even if you do not use coding directly, having that background helps you methodically approach problem-solving. I also add technical writing as a universal skill because nearly every job requires you to convey difficult concepts. It is also a great avenue for learning and retaining information."
"For future job opportunities in the electronics industry, I would say that the most important skill to have is the ability and the want to learn new things each and every day. I came into this industry not knowing anything about circuit boards, and each and every day I learn new things about how they work, how they are made, and how they are inspected. It is constant growth and learning which keeps things new and exciting. Other than that I would say that the top skills would be time management, organization, and ambition along with the knowledge that they bring with them from their respective majors."
"Critical thinking, problem solving, and learning to be conscientious of the fact that no problem only has one solution or only one way to look at it. It’s one thing to come up with a solution, but being able to develop the skillset to see a problem from all angles and understand true impact of decisions goes a long way towards pushing a career towards success."
"Project management is one skill which no matter where you land will be necessary for future success. Seeing the steps from where you are to where you want to be and effectively communicating those to team members (whether suppliers, team mates, engineer, etc.) is needed everywhere. Communication is also key in every aspect as well so ensuring good communication skills is critical to convey priority, set expectations and help drive projects."
"Having a diverse electrical and mechanical skillset will help you fit in anywhere in the electronics industry."
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