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Job outlook for embedded software engineers in the United States
Embedded software engineer job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected embedded software engineer job growth rate is 21% from 2018-2028.
About 284,100 new jobs for embedded software engineers are projected over the next decade.
Embedded software engineer salaries have increased 9% for embedded software engineers in the last 5 years.
There are over 3,511 embedded software engineers currently employed in the United States.
There are 171,613 active embedded software engineer job openings in the US.
The average embedded software engineer salary is $102,143.
Are embedded software engineer jobs in demand?
Embedded Software Engineer job and salary trends over time
Embedded Software Engineer jobs over time
Embedded Software Engineer job growth rate over time
Year  | # Of Jobs | % Of Population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 3,511 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 32,977 | 0.01% |
| 2019 | 4,045 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 32,579 | 0.01% |
| 2017 | 31,716 | 0.01% |
Average embedded software engineer salary over time
Embedded Software Engineer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $102,143 | $49.11 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $98,777 | $47.49 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $96,541 | $46.41 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $94,435 | $45.40 | +0.7% |
| 2021 | $93,785 | $45.09 | +1.2% |
Embedded Software Engineer jobs by state
Most common states for embedded software engineers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 599 | 86% |
| 2 | Washington | 7,405,743 | 2,818 | 38% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,806 | 33% |
| 4 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 2,271 | 33% |
| 5 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 1,767 | 32% |
| 6 | Delaware | 961,939 | 311 | 32% |
| 7 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,824 | 30% |
| 8 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 1,237 | 30% |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 300 | 28% |
| 10 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 824 | 27% |
| 11 | California | 39,536,653 | 10,307 | 26% |
| 12 | Vermont | 623,657 | 160 | 26% |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 320 | 24% |
| 14 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 637 | 22% |
| 15 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,161 | 21% |
| 16 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 436 | 21% |
| 17 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 117 | 20% |
| 18 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 142 | 19% |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,015 | 18% |
| 20 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 186 | 18% |
Most common cities for embedded software engineers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winter Park | 10 | 33% | $86,290 |
| 2 | Winter Springs | 10 | 28% | $86,213 |
| 3 | Oviedo | 10 | 25% | $86,181 |
| 4 | Winter Garden | 10 | 24% | $86,435 |
| 5 | Ocoee | 10 | 22% | $86,400 |
| 6 | Sanford | 10 | 17% | $86,128 |
| 7 | Dearborn | 10 | 11% | $85,661 |
| 8 | Cedar Rapids | 10 | 8% | $79,318 |
| 9 | Orlando | 17 | 6% | $86,336 |
| 10 | Arlington | 11 | 3% | $93,336 |
| 11 | San Diego | 25 | 2% | $116,691 |
| 12 | Boston | 12 | 2% | $97,699 |
| 13 | Dallas | 13 | 1% | $93,027 |
| 14 | Fort Worth | 10 | 1% | $93,386 |
| 15 | Phoenix | 10 | 1% | $96,206 |
Embedded Software Engineer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of embedded software engineer experts
Hampton University
Nova Southeastern University
University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Fairfield University
University of West Florida
University of Hawaii at Hilo
University of Washington
Gannon University
Wayne State University
University of Toledo
Metropolitan State University of Denver
Eastern Washington University
Auburn University at Montgomery
Allegheny College
Saint Xavier University
Taylor University
John Brown University
Rider University
Union University
Defiance College
What general advice would you give to an Embedded Software Engineer?
Dr. Yohannes Bekele: By entering the computer engineering profession now, individuals can take advantage of the high skilled-power demand in the field, diverse career paths broadly classified under hardware and software sub-areas, lucrative salaries as compared to other fields, continuous learning opportunities, and the potential for entrepreneurship in changing ideas into startup businesses easily. It is a field that offers long-term growth prospects and the chance to contribute to the development of cutting-edge technologies.
What Embedded Software Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Dr. Yohannes Bekele: A computer engineer's daily tasks can be in the hardware or in the software areas. Some common responsibilities in hardware include designing and developing computer hardware components like processors, circuits and memory devices and creating prototypes and testing hardware products to ensure they meet specifications. In addition, analyzing test data and modifying hardware designs as needed is also the responsibility of a computer engineer. For software side, a computer engineer can do writing code and developing software especially focusing on the underlying hardware and interfacing with it such as kernel level programming and debugging existing software programs and ensuring systems run smoothly. Additionally, a computer engineer is responsible for designing and developing electrical systems and components required for computing systems and modification of electrical circuits based on function assessments. For someone entering the field as a junior or new computer engineer, typical daily activities may involve assisting senior engineers, writing code, testing products, attending training sessions focusing on the above mentioned concentration areas, and participating in meetings to learn about ongoing projects.
What will help Embedded Software Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Yohannes Bekele: In being a computer engineer, people like all the advantages in the field including attractive compensation packages and lucrative salaries, the intellectual satisfaction of solving complex problems, opportunities for continuous learning and innovation as technology rapidly evolves, ability to work on cutting-edge technologies and contribute to their development and the diverse career paths across hardware, software, embedded systems, and various industries. The main struggle most people have in becoming a computer engineer is its steep learning curve especially when it comes to hardware design and related areas. It takes years to become proficient in the field as compared to other fields such as software programming where a relatively shorter amount of time is enough to join the workforce. In addition, the ever evolving environment with constantly changing technologies, standards, and the need to keep learning new things makes it difficult to achieve the epitome in the field.
Junping Sun Ph.D.
ProfessorNova Southeastern University
Computer Software And Media Applications
What Embedded Software Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Junping Sun Ph.D.: Computer Science and its applications in various fields are very dynamic and constantly evolving, and anyone in the fields needs to prepare to be adaptive by lifelong learning.
Dr. Darshika Perera Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Computer Engineering
What general advice would you give to an Embedded Software Engineer?
Dr. Darshika Perera Ph.D.: One of my main advice for Computer Engineering students is that they should get hands-on experience as much as possible through various courses comprising labs and projects. In order to excel in this field, it is imperative for the students not only to learn the fundamentals but also to get hands-on experience. Also, as professors and educators, we are here to help students to get through their coursework and degree program successfully. Therefore, I would encourage students to have an open dialogue with their professors/instructors, and not to hesitate on approaching them with any concerns/problems encountered during the courses or degree program. My advice is not to get deterred by the years that you have to spend or some of the difficult courses that you have to take, instead consider this as a journey that you are taking to enhance your life and career.
What will help Embedded Software Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Darshika Perera Ph.D.: In the realm of computer engineering, embedded systems design and digital systems design will become more important and prevalent. Students have to learn the state-of-the-art techniques to design embedded systems, which includes programming the embedded microprocessor/microcontrollers using embedded programming such as embedded C, in order to interface with the associated hardware such as sensors and actuators, and also to design corresponding hardware circuits. It is also imperative for the students to learn the state-of-the-art techniques and skills to design digital circuits, using hardware-description languages (HDL) such as Verilog and VHDL. Digital circuit designs, including programmable logic such as FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays), are becoming very popular among the industry for various applications.
What skills stand out on Embedded Software Engineer resumes?
Dr. Harvey Hoffman: The United States Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts outstanding and lucrative career opportunities whether graduates specialize in computer engineering, which emphasizes computer design and development, or computer science, which focuses on computing theory, data analysis, cybersecurity, algorithms, and computer networks.
I could predict that the future trends lay solely in the technologies associated with artificial intelligence, robotics, cybersecurity, bioinformatics, embedded systems, and big data, but I would probably be incorrect. The engineering profession faces a whirlwind of technology and social change. It has been said that the half-life of an engineer is about five years, perhaps less. The key to survival is adaptation to a dynamic profession and world. Today's engineers must constantly be aware of technology's changing expectations and learn new skills and competencies.
Newly minted engineers must take ownership of their careers, whether mastering a new computer language or tool or becoming proficient in a totally different discipline. Engineers should consider improving their communication skills to improve interactions with their team, clients, and management. They need to clearly communicate complex ideas and technical project plans. Good writing, listening, and presentation skills are imperative. Today's workforce must take personal initiative to maintain their relevance.
The key to remaining highly employable, successful engineers is to constantly learn, upgrade skills, and constantly adapt to new situations.
Dr. Thomas Gilbar Ph.D.
Chair and LecturerUniversity of West Florida
Electrical and Computer Engineering
What hard/technical skills are most important for Embedded Software Engineers?
Dr. Thomas Gilbar Ph.D.: There are quite a few hard/technical skills that are important for Computer Engineers. We've found a lot of managers are looking for comfort in a variety of programming languages, including C++, C#, Java, Python, etc. Also, try to have a background in a variety of operating systems (certainly windows and mac, but also having experience on Apple iOS, Android, and even Linux will give you a leg up on the competition). Having at least some experience in data/cyber security is also important these days. On the hardware side, programming and applying microcontrollers and VHDL/Verilog programming are extremely important. VLSI design is also a nice addition to skill sets, though in most cases, not a deal-breaker. Circuit and electronic design are also very important skills to supplement your microcontroller skills.
What skills stand out on Embedded Software Engineer resumes?
Dr. Thomas Gilbar Ph.D.: Resumes can be tricky things. You want to introduce yourself without overloading the reviewer. Note that this doesn't mean just listing technical skills. I heard from one of our alumni that grammar and misspellings will land a resume into the discard pile almost immediately. I can't emphasize how important it is to proofread resumes and cover letters before submitting them. Keep it neat and easy to follow. It is their first (and possibly only) impression of you, so make it good.
Aside from that, anything that emphasizes your leadership, teamwork, and problem-solving skills is always a plus. Any examples of seeing a project from beginning to end (including budgeting, planning, and design) are good. From a technical standpoint, being up to date on hot programming languages is pretty much required. Knowledge and comfort with a variety of operating systems are also important. Since we are talking about Computer Engineers and not Computer Scientists, make sure to emphasize hardware/software integration skills. Any experience you have with microcontroller design and applications is a huge plus, and don't leave out knowledge of PLD/FPGA design, programming, and testing.
Travis Mandel Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
Department of Computer Science
What skills stand out on Embedded Software Engineer resumes?
Travis Mandel Ph.D.: The number one thing that employers typically look for is a project that demonstrates your ability to program something new and useful. The best projects are ones that someone undertakes independently or with a small group of others - if it is the latter, you need to clarify what you contributed. It's even better if you include a link to public code on Github so that employers can look around your Github page and get a sense of your coding style. A working demo is also very impressive. Ideally, this wouldn't be something you were forced to do for a class but rather something you took the independent initiative to do.
College GPA doesn't matter as much as people think it does - most companies care much more about what you can do than how well you did in class. Unless it is extremely low, it shouldn't be a problem. Listing courses can be useful, but even better would be listing skills you learned in classes. For instance, the class "Artificial Intelligence" means completely different things at institutions. So employers may not necessarily understand what skills you learned in that class unless you highlight them.
What soft skills should all Embedded Software Engineers possess?
Travis Mandel Ph.D.: Although computer science seems like a highly technical field, soft skills are really what differentiates software engineers. One of the most important qualities of any software engineer is explaining their code clearly at various levels of technical depth and explaining why certain design decisions were made. You could write code that does amazing things, but if that code consists of snippets you pasted from StackOverflow without really fully understanding them, it will be a huge headache for anyone who needs to come into the codebase later and maintain or update it.
Another one is asking the right questions. Imagine you are dropped into a huge codebase and asked to add a new feature (very common!). There's no time to understand everything that is going on, but on the other hand, you need to understand enough of the code to do your task effectively, which involves asking questions. A failure to ask questions will likely result in you wasting a huge amount of time working on something that is ultimately not useful, for instance, re-implementing a complex function that already exists somewhere in the codebase.
Rania Hussein Ph.D.
Associate Teaching ProfessorUniversity of Washington
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
What skills stand out on Embedded Software Engineer resumes?
Rania Hussein Ph.D.: Familiarity with embedded systems design and firmware programming. IoT came to the spotlight because of COVID-19 and the need to work on projects remotely. This will likely tend to grow post-pandemic.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Embedded Software Engineers?
Rania Hussein Ph.D.: C language and hardware description language, such as Verilog, microcontrollers and FPGA programming, computer organization, and low-level programming in assembly.
What skills will help Embedded Software Engineers earn the most?
Rania Hussein Ph.D.: Continuous professional development and working on side projects to learn new technical and marketable skills.
What type of skills will young Embedded Software Engineers need?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: New computing graduates, more and more, need to understand the delivered value. Software is becoming ubiquitous: the breadth of industries and the depth of industry needs continue to expand. More than ever, the skills and competencies to reliably design, implement, and deploy software solutions are becoming paramount; it is not enough to be good with IT solutions or programming.
The need for computing graduates to be themselves adaptive, to work creatively to see and capitalize on opportunities, not just solve tech problems, is expanding. What is wanted are students who want to be computing professionals, women and men prepared to work together to deliver value to their organization, customers, and the world.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Embedded Software Engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Computing is ubiquitous, and with more industries moving to remote work, location is becoming less critical. If the internet reaches a place reliably, computing jobs can be located there.
How do you envision technology impacting Embedded Software Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Breadth and depth: Computing is becoming more like engineering; where the value of the product, its lifetime risks, costs, and benefits are more critical than just it's roll-out. So the engineering competencies that have always been a part of computing will become more central. Computing is also expanding; the role of data and the shift of once-research technologies (like machine learning) into production applications will continue to require computing graduates to broaden their base and continue as learners. This will cause shifts in what is considered 'fundamental' and the need for professionals to continue to hone and redevelop their technical skill sets.
Dr. Nabil Sarhan Ph.D.
Associate ProfessorWayne State University
Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Embedded Software Engineers?
Dr. Nabil Sarhan Ph.D.: As graduates will find themselves in even greater competition against a global workforce, they will need to differentiate themselves by enhancing their problem-solving, design, communication, and teamwork skills. Graduates can further enhance their job prospects by obtaining graduate degrees. The industry also appreciates certifications and/or courses in AI, machine learning, embedded systems, cloud computing, VLSI, and security, web development, and software engineering. Collaborating in open-source software and having experience in state-of-the-art tools will be appreciated. If none of these is possible, the student should at least invest the time and effort in completing an impressive graduation or capstone project and should do his/her best in the senior course projects as they will demonstrate having the necessary practical experience.
What will help Embedded Software Engineers increase their earning potential?
Dr. Nabil Sarhan Ph.D.: The graduates can increase their earning potential by obtaining master's degrees or certificates based on the current market needs. These qualifications are expected to become increasingly more important because of the rising competition in the marketplace.
What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Embedded Software Engineers?
Jared Onyango Oluoch Ph.D.: In databases - various Oracle database certifications; in networking - Cisco CCNA; in cybersecurity CompTIA security. Engineering and engineering technology graduates will boost their earning potentially by getting the Professional Engineer (PE) license.
Janos Fustos Ph.D.
ProfessorMetropolitan State University of Denver
Department of Computer Information Systems and Business Analytics
What's a good job out of college for Embedded Software Engineers?
Janos Fustos Ph.D.: I hope students are asking that question before they enroll in the first course at a college because otherwise, they would waste lot of time and money to work on a degree or a career path that does not fulfill their goals and personal interest. In that sense any job is a good job that somebody understands, feels that he/she is a good fit and can live up to the imposed challenges, and has the knowledge/skills to work in the field. There are interesting and self-fulfilling jobs to choose from. Certainly, it starts with the definition what a "good" means to an individual, what are the attributes of that definition: is that the professional area, is the salary, is it the challenging nature, is it more about the working environment and the people they can work with, is it the promotion options, the high impact etc. There are several lists available on the internet that provide recommendations and track the different aspects of job selection options for seekers.
Christian Hansen Ph.D.
Professor and Department ChairEastern Washington University
Department of Mathematics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Embedded Software Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Christian Hansen Ph.D.: Within the short-term, the biggest trend in the job market is currently an increased demand for workforce in the healthcare and technology disciplines. In the long-term, healthcare will remain in demand, but I predict the highest future increase will be in the areas of data science, software and computer engineering.
What's a day at work look like for an Embedded Software Engineer?
Christian Hansen Ph.D.: In the post-pandemic era, a typical workday for a recent graduate will likely involve some form of remote work. I predict that many businesses will benefit from the reduced cost of remote infrastructure compared to the cost of maintaining brick and mortar office space. Many new graduates will continue to spend their day on a computer while collaborating in teams via Zoom and other teleconference tools. People working in disciplines that have traditionally been "on the ground" will move towards more hybrid modes of work, reducing the need for travel and participating in face-to-face meetings and training.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Embedded Software Engineers?
Dr. Semih Dinc: I personally think there may be a positive impact of this pandemic for CS graduates in medium/long term. Even if many companies have frozen or slowed down their hiring process now, I believe this is a temporary decision. There is still a big need for new CS graduates in the industry. And to me it is more clear that people realized they can work remotely for many CS related positions. This means that many companies can cut their physical office budgets and hire more remote people. One of the factors for our students is the challenges/expenses of the city they would work. Some of them do not want to move to big cities. I am assuming with more remote working opportunities graduates will have more options.
What experience really stands out on Embedded Software Engineer resumes?
Dr. Semih Dinc: According to my experience, most companies are not looking for "straight A" students. Instead, they look for someone with real world experience in their field. A recent graduate will most likely stand out if he/she has somehow contributed real projects. This can be achieved through internships. For many students, who do not have this option, they can still stand out by sharing their "good" school projects to platforms like GitHub. This way they can show companies that they are aware of these tools, and they will be ready to adopt the new company environment.
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorAllegheny College
Department of Computer Science and Affiliated Faculty in Integrative Informatics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Embedded Software Engineer job market given the pandemic?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: Pandemic has accelerated social connectivity trends using technology, including technology for remote work, and e-learning, and technology to make e-commerce more comfortable and faster. I foresee these accelerated technology trends to continue, even after the pandemic, and therefore job markets in these areas to continue to grow. Another big surge we have seen is in data analytics, which has been increasing over the last decade, and COVID-19 has spotlighted this field. I expect data analyst jobs to continue to be in demand and to grow. Also, the pandemic showed us the interconnectedness of technology with other areas. As the need to develop better solutions to fight various diseases heightens, for example, I expect jobs in biotech to grow.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Embedded Software Engineers in the next 5 years?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: More technology and expertise to use online productivity, development, and communication technologies, is now needed to build and maintain online infrastructures to bring people together in a smaller world. The increase in demand for graduates in the areas mentioned above will result from the current dependence that the pandemic has forced upon Internet-based technologies for communications and productivity. For instance, more will likely be done online after the pandemic since companies have grown used to the convenience of organizing online meetings, working in the cloud, and completing development and scheduling tasks, using freshly-minted, online productivity technologies from GitHub, Zoom, Google Meet, and similar organizations.
In academia, conferences used to be in-person only, and so if you wanted to meet colleagues in your research area, you had to attend in person. Due to the lessons learned from conducting meetings during the pandemic, participants are encouraged to attend conferences virtually, give presentations, develop collaborations, and become involved in new and exciting projects without leaving their living rooms.
These events have grown used to this freedom to organize events, without physical boundaries, when getting people together to meet, think, and work. It is logical to perform more online work now, to be done so conveniently to include more people and more productivity, with less travel and hotels to worry about. It would seem that those who design technological innovations, permitting better communication, development, and productivity for online users will be the creators of the collaboration spaces of tomorrow.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Embedded Software Engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: In the next few years, technologies related to artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, container-orchestration systems, and cybersecurity will continue to become more important and prominent. These technologies have the foundation to improve the quality of life in terms of health, education, fighting misinformation, creating better connections, fighting climate change, etc. IoT with smart devices connected online will continue to rise, thus producing more data, which will necessitate AI, data analytics, and security solutions. Additionally, I foresee 5G technology to play an essential role in the next few years, as e-commerce expands into autonomous delivery services. In the software engineering field, to enable fast, secure, and connected software development, technologies allowing to automate a part of that process, such as version control, containerization, and Kubernetes, will also become increasingly important.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Embedded Software Engineers in the next 5 years?
James Vanderhyde: There has been a steady increase in software and IT jobs for the last 20 years, and this is not going to slow down any time soon. In the next 5 years, demand will increase, particularly in software development and cybersecurity. The technology field changes so quickly that beyond 5 years, it is difficult to make predictions. That is why we thoroughly prepare our computer science and information systems students for technology changes and career shifts to discover the best in themselves and to be prepared to meet the demand and excel within the field.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Embedded Software Engineers to find work opportunities?
James Vanderhyde: Any big city will have lots of opportunities for computing, software, and IT work. Silicon Valley and the rest of the west coast are the most famous, but innovation is happening everywhere around the country and around the world, including here in Chicago. Chicago tech companies have hired our students upon graduation, and likewise, our graduates have found success and gratification in the field.
What are the best companies to work for an Embedded Software Engineer?
James Vanderhyde: The best companies to work for are companies that respect you as a person and not just a cog in the machine. They are inclusive, and they recognize and appreciate diversity. They have a track record of handling sick leave and family leave as needed. They will not expect you to eat dinner in your office and then go back to work after an already long day. All software companies experience crunch times around release dates, but the best companies do not experience constant crunch. That is a sign of poor management. The best companies will give you challenging problems to work on and reward innovation.
Dr. Jonathan Geisler
Associate ProfessorTaylor University
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
What are the best companies to work for an Embedded Software Engineer?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: The best companies to work for are the ones that are responsive to both their customers' and employees' needs. They are the ones that have tried to be proactive during the pandemic and not just survive until everything got "back to normal." They know that a damaged workforce leads to a damaged company, and so they provide good management, encouraging everyone to be healthy mentally and physically.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Embedded Software Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: There will be a continued increase in demand for computer engineering
graduates as computers become more heavily integrated into the fabric
of our lives. Things like self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and
mobile computing will become more commonplace and increase the demand for engineering talent; the long-term trend of using smartphones and web-based applications will not slow, leading to an increase in the
demand for computing talent.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Embedded Software Engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: All the places that have been good for computing will continue to have
jobs, including the Bay Area in California, Seattle, and Austin, TX. We
may find that remote working will open up more options for workers in
all areas of the country, but I would encourage entry-level students to
strongly consider finding a company they can be physically present at. I believe that there is a better experience, interacting with people
in-person, rather than over a video connection. The video connection works fine for established relationships and impersonal interactions, but is not as
effective at replicating things, like overhearing conversations of fellow
employees, seeing how co-workers tackle new problems, making a mental model of the social networks present in the job already, etc. These are skills that most have not learned in college and need to develop on-the-job in their first position in the industry.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Embedded Software Engineers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song: Due to COVID-19, people have more choices on location as more companies allow their employees to work remotely.
How do you envision technology impacting Embedded Software Engineers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song: The question is not whether technology will advance or not. It is, rather, how it will advance. Professionals in the industry need to be equipped to see the customers' demand and where our society is headed. I would recommend college students to be interested in broad topics apart from topics in their major. Well-rounded people will have more opportunities to impact the future.
Dr. Howard Rees
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Information SystemsRider University
Information systems
What general advice would you give to an Embedded Software Engineer?
Dr. Howard Rees: I'll answer that presuming that this is advice I might give to someone who still has some time to spend in school, learning.
There are two general approaches for a student to take to become a valued future employee: to learn in-depth (think, long and thin like an "ice pick") or to learn broad (think, wide and shallow like a "comb"). Of course, there are hybrid versions, e.g., the "fork,"where one goes pretty deep but also has a little breadth to their experience and knowledge. I'm done with my utensil metaphors.
By deep, I mean that you focus on a narrow subject and become knowledgeable and good at it, specifically. By broad, I suggest that you learn about a lot of different (related) topics and work to become somewhat knowledgeable and competent at them all. This is especially important in tech fields as it's nearly impossible to identify precisely where the next big thing will come from and what the next expanding tech sector will be. You could be lucky, but it's like timing the stock market, random darts often succeed, and highly paid managers. If you come from an elite school (e.g., a Stanford or NYU), you can go deep and rely upon networking to find your first job. On the other hand, being more of a generalist gives one a leg up during volatile times and provides one freedom to develop whatever the future holds. The truth about the school, work, and success (and happiness) are that serendipity (accidental opportunities) and learning on the job is how many people find their calling. Once you get the job (which depends a lot on your schooling, personality, recommendations), you learn the situation by doing the job (much easier if you're a "comb," but even you're an "ice pick" you will do OK, too). Whether you'll be happy is a question of whether exciting challenges and good people surround you.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Embedded Software Engineers?
Dr. Howard Rees: We're moving into a volatile time for the economy, and planning for an uncertain future is what big companies are concerned with. In many ways, the pandemic and concerns over future pandemics that we now know can be globally devastating will be a boon for CS and IT graduates. Face to face business interactions and transactions will be dramatically reduced, both in the short term and in the long run, as there will be a need to hedge against future pandemics. Everything changes from production and operations to supply chain and risk management and diversification to the nature of "office work." And all of that must be underpinned by computer technology: communications, security, data analytics. These are trends that have been developing for the past few decades but the pandemic will accelerate them, and that's all useful, if you're a CS or IT graduate with a broad base of knowledge, which provides you the freedom to adapt.
What general advice would you give to an Embedded Software Engineer?
Brian Glas: Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Embedded Software Engineers?
Aaron Napierala: I think the pandemic's lasting impact on graduates will be decisive in preparing them for careers in technology. A recent graduate of mine just completed training for a new position with a company, completely remote. It was the first time the company had ever done anything like this before. It was a success, and the graduate raves at the entire process. The pandemic is forcing companies to scrutinize how they operate, to ensure the best possible outcome, for whatever it is they are doing. Once they see the success of being able to accomplish something more efficiently, or they are more cost-effective, they may continue on this path. Why would a company post their ad locally and interview a handful of candidates, when they can open up access globally and draw from a much larger pool? So for graduates just now entering the workforce, they have a distinct advantage: having access to technology for the majority of their lives and just coming out of situations that were forced on them to communicate remotely.