Electronics Engineering or rather Electronics and Communication Engineering is the branch of science and technology and is basically a part of Electrical Engineering discipline. It has a broad area of study including the study of linear and nonlinear electronic devices, semiconductor devices, study of electromagnetic spectrum, and devices utilizing this spectrum for communication purposes. With the age of miniaturisation, the discipline also includes the study of Very Large Scale Integration or VLSI circuits.
With its dependency on an interdisciplinary branch of Computer Science, the Electronics branch also deals with areas like the architecture of computer systems, networking, Artificial Intelligence, and Data Structure Concepts. This is the reason why Electronics and Communication Engineers can easily migrate and adapt themselves over different work sectors including the IT and core industries.
Some of the fields of study under the Electronics Engineering branch are –
Embedded Systems – It is the field of study related to the devices serving specific applications such as everyday consumer electronics or bigger systems like flight control systems. A microcontroller is the heart of any embedded system application. It also includes the study of Real-Time Operating systems which is different from the conventional Operating System used in computers and laptops.
VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) systems – The ever-reducing size of electronic devices is made possible through this field. It is the field of engineering where the system is created on a single chip. Not to stop here the technology aims at still reducing the size of the Integrated Circuits by reducing the MOS’s channel length. This is an ever-demanding industry and VLSI engineers are always sought after in this industry.
RF Communication – This includes the study of wireless communication using radio waves and making use of the Electromagnetic spectrum. This type of communication is used in mobile phones, Internet of Things using Cloud technology, and short- and long-range radio communication. With the advancements made in 5G and Cloud technology, this branch of engineering is also highly preferred.
Digital Engineering – We are well aware of the advantages of Digital Communication over its analog counterparts. This is the reason and hence no doubt that the Digital market has completely taken over the analog market.
Systems Engineering – The field deals with the design of any electronic system, be it a radio receiver, a mobile phone or it may be an object consisting of several smaller items. Good design adds to the system’s efficiency and productivity and hence Systems Design is an integral part of the Electronics Engineering branch.
Control System Engineering – The modern advancements in luxury cars like the cruise control system or flight propulsion control system are all apart of Control Systems Engineering.
Telecommunication Engineering – It deals with the transmission of information across the channel or wired media such as optical cable, coaxial fibre or free space. It also includes the study of various modulation techniques like amplitude and frequency modulation. After determining the transmission characteristics of the system, the telecommunication engineers design the transmitters and receivers needed for the system required.
Instrumentation Engineering – This field deals with the study of designing devices that can measure physical quantities such as temperature, pressure, or flow. The devices used for measuring these physical quantities are called instruments. It also requires knowledge of physics besides electromagnetic concepts. These concepts are often applied in making and calibrating various sensors which are part of a larger system like automobiles or industrial machines.
There are many other sub-branches of the Electronics Engineering discipline like Analog Circuit designing, Robotics, ASIC designing, Programmable logic engineering, etc. which are also sought-after fields.
Roles and responsibilities of an Electronics Engineer
The role of an electronics engineer or the key skillset is
• To understand and jot down the specifications of a product requirement in whole and design a model product that is user-friendly and eco-friendly if it draws or outputs any natural component.
• To design, install and maintain telecommunication devices and systems with expertise in engineering technology, science, and maths.
• To design and maintain control systems used to monitor systems or processes in many different industrial areas.
• To design a system to manage electronic waste or any other industrial waste and help maintain the ecosystem.
• To keep track and document every new advancement made in the field of science and technology.
• To carry out research in the field of science and technology for the betterment of humankind.
• To monitor any malfunctions or malware in the existing process and design a solution to rectify it.
• To plan projects and, preparing and managing budgets.
• Besides, an electronic engineer should have problem-solving skills, creative and critical thinking, communication skills, and a strong interest in technology.
Career in Electronics Engineering
One can opt for a regular 4-year full graduation degree consisting of usually 8 semesters (B. E /B. Tech) from any good engineering college like IITs, NIT, Deemed Engineering universities/colleges, or any other private or public institutes with proper affiliation. Various top Engineering colleges conduct entrance examinations for admission in the respective college. After successful completion of the course, one can have ample opportunities in the field of Communication and media, telecommunications, Semiconductor, electronics consultancy, and other electronic industries.
Advantages of Electronics Engineering
• If you are creative and passionate about building new gadgets and designing circuits, this field is the most suitable one. If you are a technology freak in electronics and communication domain, this field of study is most apt.
• If you want to take up research in recent technology advancements like nanotechnology, Radiofrequency communication, and architecture for cloud technology and 5G, Electronics and Communication Engineering major can solve the problem.
• Plenty of hands-on engineering tools like MATLAB/SIMULINK, CADENCE, Verilog, VHDL, Xilinx, etc. are given in this course. Also, a lot of programming languages like Embedded C, Embedded Linux, etc. are also a part of this curriculum.
• If you are an electronics hobbyist and have the interest to make new everyday use electronics stuff, this engineering discipline can give you in-depth knowledge to use your skill to design more sophisticated devices which can be beneficial for the entire mankind.
Author
Anupama kumari
M.Tech (VLSI Design and Embedded system)
BS Abdur Rahman University
