Robert A. Heinlein, a well-known Sci-Fi writer, once said, “One man’s ‘magic’ is another man’s engineering. ‘Supernatural’ is a null word.” This holds true in the case of Electronics and Communication Engineers. They are the magicians who made us communicate without wires, made us touch the Moon and will make us colonize the Mars, entertained us with TV, radio, and WiFi and protect us with ECG and MRI. The Electronics and Communication Engineers are needed everywhere. It can be rightly said that without their help, the day-to-day function will be affected. Hence, in this article, we will discuss the various careers for Electronics and Communication Engineers.
rnElectronics and Communication is a very broad field. An Electronics and Communication Engineer discover new semiconductor materials for active and passive components. They also use these components to plan, design and build electronic devices and communication technologies that range from simple PCBs to nuclear missiles.
rnThis field is very vast and it encompasses Electronics Circuit Design, Signal processing, Wireless Communication, Optical Communication, Robotics, Embedded Systems, Analog electronics, Digital electronics, Telecommunications, Power Electronics, Consumer Electronics, Solid State Physics, Control systems, VLSI, Defense, Nanotechnology, Mobile Companies, etc. Hence, the job opportunities are also varied. So, the career options for Electronics and Communication Engineers are classified into divisions as explained below:
rnThe Electronics and Communication Engineer in this industry would work towards developing Electronic machines with Cutting-Edge technology to help in production. They would also introduce new techniques to enhance the power of the electronic machines and controllers like engine controller. As they move forward in this field, they would work towards developing a fully automated aircraft and electronic propulsion technologies.
rnIn both the industries, it is the responsibility of the electronics and communication engineer to develop devices that would propagate signal without interference. They would also monitor the signaling systems and signals that are being sent and received continuously to avoid any accidents. The average salary given to the fresher in this field is Rs. 3.5 LPA.
rnElectronics plays a major part of the automotive industry in present times. Especially power electronics play a major role in the vehicles. Electronic engineers, in this industry, will work on designing and developing the systems like engine controller, air conditioning system, safety and lock systems, dashboard indicators, infotainment systems and braking systems. They also work towards developing smarter vehicles that can work independently on autopilot modes. With IoT technology blooming, they would work to build vehicles that can communicate with each other to prevent accidents. In future, the electric cars, developed by these engineers, will be a part of every household. The average salary for a fresher in the automotive industry is Rs. 3.5 LPA. Once, they are experienced, their salary will be hiked up to 25 LPA.
rnAlmost every medical instrument is electronic. An electronics and communication engineer use their biological knowledge and combine them with the basic principles of electronics and communication to create and maintain medical instruments that can help people all over the world. An electronic engineer has the important role in changing the healthcare industry for better. The average salary given to a fresher in this field is Rs 3.5 – 5 LPA. But, as they become experienced, there will be a major hike in the salary.
rnThis industry covers all of the consumer goods like Washing Machines, Dryers, Lights, Intelligent home systems, mobiles, computers, etc. Most of the graduates are offered one of these two roles in this industry- Manufacturing and Engineering or Supply Networking Operations and logistics. In this industry, the electronic engineers also take up the responsibilities of a mechanical engineer, electrical engineer, chemical engineer, etc. After gaining experience, these engineers will be the masters of this discipline with the mixed skills. The average salary given to a fresher in this field is Rs.3 – 4.5 LPA.
rnThe electronics and communication engineers in the production area of this industry optimize the hardware and software design concepts to develop sophisticated design processes. They also test the products to ensure its suitability in the air, water, and land. The responsibilities that come under these are designing of circuits, simulation and modeling, assessment of equipment behavior, components and new technologies, diagnosis of fault, and data analysis.
rnThe electronics and communication engineers also work with signals. They create equipment to transmit and receive signals that have low noise levels. They create technologies to avoid the hacking of the important information that is contained in these signals. A fresher in this field gets an average salary in the range of Rs. 3-5 LPA.
rnThe design engineers in this sector design electronic components (Resistors, Transistors, ICs, PCBs, Microcontrollers, etc) and products (Mobiles, Washing Machines, Electronic toys, Circuit Boards, etc). The application engineer in this sector supports a product in its lifetime. i.e, they work to improve the products and offer assistance to it throughout its lifecycle.
rnIn the case of Robotics industry, the engineers work with microcontrollers, ADCs, transformers, relays, etc to plan, design, code, build and develop robots that can change the future of mankind. The average salary given to the fresher in these industries is Rs. 3 – 6 LPA.
rnIoT is the moving industry in present times. The electronics and communication engineer play a major role in this prominent technology, may it be of domestic level or in the industrial level like IIoT. They plan, design, code, build and develop smart instruments that can communicate with one another and to the people. They invent these innovative technologies to improve the quality of life of the mankind. As they progress, they would develop cars that can communicate via their headlights using LiFi, industrial machines that can communicate with each other to consume power, Smart Homes that can work along with the power generation system to create a smart grid, etc. The average salary of these engineers is Rs. 3.5 – 5.5 LPA.
rnIn the marine industry, the electronic engineer would work to develop effective radar systems for warships and submarines, and complex automation systems to reduce the human intervention. They would also plan and develop efficient low-cost equipment to connect the land and the sea.
rnAn electronic engineer would work to design effective LiFi systems to transmit signals as RF rays cannot penetrate water. The average salary offered to a fresher in this field is Rs. 3.6 – 6.6 LPA.
rnAn electronic engineer in the material and metal industry will model, simulate, diagnose the fault, maintain and analyse the data to control the instrumentation that is used. They also optimize hardware and software designs and create new instruments that use recent technologies to produce more productive results. The salary package given to the engineers in these fields are in the range of Rs.3.5 – 5.5 LPA.
rnWe can say that there will be no power generation plants without electronic engineers. These engineers will monitor and control complex machines, communicate with remote equipment as in atomic power plants, and analyze the data to improve the performance of the power generation systems.
rnThey also work along with the electrical and mechanical engineers to design, build and implement smart power grid with mesh topology that starts right from the power generation plant and ends at smart homes. Freshers are offered a salary in the range of Rs. 3 – 3.5 LPA.
rnAn electronic engineer in the rail industry predominantly works in two areas- Control System and Signaling. An engineering working with control systems design and create innovative systems that control the whole working of the train in autopilot mode. They also design security systems and relays for safe transportation.
rnAn engineer working with signaling systems monitor signals and find devices for the trains in the same and crossing tracks to communicate with each other and with the control room using MANs and LANs. They also take care of the station signals and LCD displays. The salary offered to the fresher in the rail industry is in the range of Rs. 3 – 3.5 LPA.
rnThis, being the core of an electronic and communication engineer, lets them work with signals. Wireless communication and telecommunication have become an integral part of today’s lifestyle. In these industries, the engineers would build advanced systems to transmit signals with less to zero interference and noise. They would develop new modulating techniques and systems, amplifiers, and filters to reduce the loss of signals and improve the SNR. They would work with optical fibers, switches, and other such devices to create underwater transmission lines. They would also develop more effective and low-cost materials to enable wired communication with less loss. The average salary of a fresher in this field is Rs. 3.5 LPA. As the engineer gains experience, he/ she will be provided a salary up to Rs. 30 LPA.
rnThe electronics and communication engineer would work to build new network topologies that would transmit packets without loss and whose rate of data transmission is high. They would create systems to transmit packets in one terabit per second (TBPS). Also, they will design algorithms and protocols to prevent the hacking of data. The average salary offered to the fresher in this field is in the range of Rs. 4 – 12 LPA.
rnElectronics and Communication Engineers dominate this industry. They are mostly offered the job role of a programmer analyst or a system engineer or a software engineer. They would plan, design, code and implement software for the clients. They would also be involved in creating patches, maintenance, error debugging, etc. The average salary offered for a fresher in the IT industry is Rs. 3.15 – Rs. 5 LPA.
rnApart from core related and IT sector jobs, electronics and communication engineers can write bank exams for the post of PO, Clerk, SO, etc. They are provided attractive salary packages and various incentives. The average salary package for a fresher in this industry is in the range of Rs. 3.5 – 5.5 LPA.
rnIf the electronics and communication engineer pursues a post graduation degree, he/ she can become a Professor or a Researcher. They would help their wards to become excellent technologists, scientists, etc and will assist them to develop innovative technologies. The fresher is given the salary in the range of Rs. 4 – 10 LPA according to their knowledge and skills.
rnGenerally, certain roles like Electronic Engineer, Signal Engineers, Electronics Design Engineer, Production Engineer, etc are offered to these graduates.
rnTop companies that hire Electronics and Communication Engineers are as follows:
rnTexas Instruments, Intel, AMD, Cisco, IBM, Samsung Electronics, Sony, Toshiba, Philips Semiconductors, Nokia, Nvidia, HP, LG Electronics, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL), National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Wipro, HCL, ISRO, SYNTEL, BSNL, Honeywell, etc.
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