Interest sparked in embedded while nearing the end of my CS degree, how can I squeeze myself into this field? /u/seb69420 CSCQ protests reddit

Hi!

I am a senior nearing the end of my CS degree. While in school, I got an internship where I worked with Python in Jupyter to optimize a YOLO-based AI model. The model was trained to identify faults in circuit boards, and as I performed my job, I increasingly became interesting in the electronic side of things. Now at my job Im working on testing software in C# for our ATE devices and its been a joy getting to know hardware & circuitry a bit more intimately.

I have tinkered with arduino, but only for fun. I have no formal EE or CE background (except for a assembly microcontroller class I took in college, plus computer architecture and OS). Back in high school I worked for an HVAC company and occasionally did very basic wiring stuff (I am not certified in any trade, I was just an assistant).

I’m thinking about what I want to REALLY do for the rest of my life, and I just don’t feel like pure SWE is where my heart is, to be poetic about it I guess.

Is there anything I can do slowly transition into this career? Should I? (I hear embedded is now oversaturated, low paying, outsourced, very difficult for graduates to break into, let ALONE for non EE people like myself).

Is it worth it to get an Associates in electronics from my community college or is that stupid? (Most affordable and reasonable option for me personally, just to get caught up on electronic fundamentals). Should I bother with a masters in CE perhaps? Is an EET wise at all? Should I get some technician experience? What should I pursue to justify my existence in this field?

Thank you for any and all feedback

Hi!

I am a senior nearing the end of my CS degree. While in school, I got an internship where I worked with Python in Jupyter to optimize a YOLO-based AI model. The model was trained to identify faults in circuit boards, and as I performed my job, I increasingly became interesting in the electronic side of things. Now at my job Im working on testing software in C# for our ATE devices and its been a joy getting to know hardware & circuitry a bit more intimately.

I have tinkered with arduino, but only for fun. I have no formal EE or CE background (except for a assembly microcontroller class I took in college, plus computer architecture and OS). Back in high school I worked for an HVAC company and occasionally did very basic wiring stuff (I am not certified in any trade, I was just an assistant).

I’m thinking about what I want to REALLY do for the rest of my life, and I just don’t feel like pure SWE is where my heart is, to be poetic about it I guess.

Is there anything I can do slowly transition into this career? Should I? (I hear embedded is now oversaturated, low paying, outsourced, very difficult for graduates to break into, let ALONE for non EE people like myself).

Is it worth it to get an Associates in electronics from my community college or is that stupid? (Most affordable and reasonable option for me personally, just to get caught up on electronic fundamentals). Should I bother with a masters in CE perhaps? Is an EET wise at all? Should I get some technician experience? What should I pursue to justify my existence in this field?

Thank you for any and all feedback