Do you have advice for a Computer Science Graduate looking to get into Hardware?

Question

I'm a CS graduate and I've been in the field for 10 years now. Hardware has interested me from day 1, in fact, I am one course shy of a minor in Electrical Engineering. Now I've gotten to the point where I want to move more towards hardware and custom curcuit board development than I have in the past.

The faculty of Engineering want me to do a qualifying year before accepting me into the Electrical Engineering Graduate program. It looks like I may be able to get away with only two courses - I previously took the other 4 courses they suggest in my CS degree.

My question is this: Should I go for a Master's in Electrical Engineering, or is there some other route that I haven't considered?

Answer 1

A masters in EE is good. A masters in computer engineering might be better. If you school offers it a hot new field is mechtronics, the combination of electrical, computer, and mechanical engineering. If your desire is employability, I would recommend getting a PE license instead. Professional Engineers are always in demand.

Answer 2

The hobbyist route is probably the only one you haven't already covered. CS and EE are extremely closely related (especially if your EE is specialized in electronics). I know a lot of engineers who started out in one and ended up working (professionally) in the other as a result of hobby projects.

Answer 3

If you are looking at from a hobby angle you may want to check out nerd kits. Getting the master degree of course will give you a more solid foundation, and you can always play with nerd kits and the like while you are getting your masters.

Answer 4

yea (cocks shot gun) it's back the way you came! (can I make family guy jokes on here?)

seriously tho - I have a simmilar desire - I recommend you get a LEGO NXT.

http://mindstorms.lego.com

Answer 5

If you can find a computer engineering program that would let you in with similar effort that would probably be a closer fit, but having already completed your undergraduate what you've found is probably your best bet.

Answer 6

I'd suggest something along the lines of EE or CE (computer engineering) or anything that involves digital systems courses. EE courses will probably give you a better background than straight digital systems courses but depending on what you intend to achieve in the end the choice is up to you. Check out some uni websites and see what the courses entail. I'd probably recommend EE though.

If you want to have a mess around with some hardware play around with an Arduino, it's a good way to get into basic hardware