On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:34:13 -0600 "labamba" <spootski_05@hotmail.com> wrote: [snip]> So what exactly can I learn that won't require a Master's? For > example, I know I can learn DSP in C as I know both of them. MATLAB > can be self-taught as well. But what about things like DSP > architectures, VHDL, Verilog, etc.? One can only learn some things in > grad school, right?So you know how you were just complaining that the things that you learned as an undergraduate were, while lovely theory, not actually the things that employers wanted? Why would you think that grad school would be any different? You can either go for the terminal masters, which will teach you how to have a master's degree. Or you can go on for the Ph.D, which will primarily teach you how to teach future engineering students to go on for their Ph.Ds. Now I wouldn't want to say that either degree is useless. They do an excellent job at getting you hired for positions that won't accept anyone without an advanced degree. And the economy's so lousy at the moment that, if you can convince someone to pay you to go back to school, it might be a decent place to go hide from the real world for a bit. But unless you're wanting to go on and pursue deep research, any year you spend in school will be less educational than one you spend in the field. -- Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology Email address is currently out of order
Jobs in DSP
Started by ●February 22, 2010
Reply by ●February 22, 20102010-02-22
Reply by ●February 22, 20102010-02-22
>>Hi. >> >>I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering froma>>prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't >>disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". >>Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topicsbut>>the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, >>signals and systems, image processing, etc.). >> >>I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP >related >>jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've nevereven>>heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR >>filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see >>things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. >> >>How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses >at >>MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP >>exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books onDSP>>programming in C. Would that do? >> >>In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do >I >>have to go to grad school? >> >> >> >Also, where can I find of different DSP-related careers. I know there's audio engineering, digital communications, etc., but what else is there?
Reply by ●February 22, 20102010-02-22
>>Hi. >> >>I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering froma>>prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't >>disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". >>Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topicsbut>>the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, >>signals and systems, image processing, etc.). >> >>I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP >related >>jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've nevereven>>heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR >>filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see >>things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. >> >>How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses >at >>MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP >>exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books onDSP>>programming in C. Would that do? >> >>In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do >I >>have to go to grad school? >> >>Also, which fields in DSP would require me to get a Master's? For example, would I need a Master's to get a job in audio engineering or image processing?
Reply by ●February 23, 20102010-02-23
On Feb 23, 10:12�am, "labamba" <spootski...@hotmail.com> wrote:> Hi. > > I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from a > prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't > disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". > Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topics but > the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, > signals and systems, image processing, etc.). > > I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP related > jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've never even > heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR > filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see > things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. > > How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses at > MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP > exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books on DSP > programming in C. Would that do? > > In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do I > have to go to grad school?Forget it. Get a real job in Analogue IC design. Every man and his dog is doing DSP.
Reply by ●February 23, 20102010-02-23
Rob Gaddi wrote:> On Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:34:13 -0600 > "labamba" <spootski_05@hotmail.com> wrote: > > [snip] > >> So what exactly can I learn that won't require a Master's? For >> example, I know I can learn DSP in C as I know both of them. MATLAB >> can be self-taught as well. But what about things like DSP >> architectures, VHDL, Verilog, etc.? One can only learn some things in >> grad school, right? > > So you know how you were just complaining that the things that you > learned as an undergraduate were, while lovely theory, not actually the > things that employers wanted? Why would you think that grad school > would be any different? > > You can either go for the terminal masters, which will teach you how to > have a master's degree. Or you can go on for the Ph.D, which will > primarily teach you how to teach future engineering students to go on > for their Ph.Ds. > > Now I wouldn't want to say that either degree is useless. They do an > excellent job at getting you hired for positions that won't accept > anyone without an advanced degree. And the economy's so lousy at the > moment that, if you can convince someone to pay you to go back to > school, it might be a decent place to go hide from the real world for a > bit. But unless you're wanting to go on and pursue deep research, any > year you spend in school will be less educational than one you spend in > the field. >I dunno -- I find my self using much of what I learned getting my Master's on a fairly regular basis. But then, I had already decided in large part what I was going to do out of school, and I took classes and aimed my thesis at that target. Being a "turns theory into practice" guy rather than a "randomly fumbles around with cookbook solutions" guy helps, too, I suppose. -- Tim Wescott Control system and signal processing consulting www.wescottdesign.com
Reply by ●February 23, 20102010-02-23
On Feb 23, 12:16�am, Robert Hendarson <arseband...@yahoo.co.nz> wrote:> On Feb 23, 10:12�am, "labamba" <spootski...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Hi. > > > I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from a > > prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't > > disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". > > Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topics but > > the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, > > signals and systems, image processing, etc.). > > > I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP related > > jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've never even > > heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR > > filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see > > things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. > > > How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses at > > MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP > > exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books on DSP > > programming in C. Would that do? > > > In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do I > > have to go to grad school? > > Forget it. Get a real job in Analogue IC design. Every man and his dog > is doing DSP.- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -You left off a couple of important words... Every man and his dog is doing DSP. Mostly not very well. Dirk
Reply by ●February 23, 20102010-02-23
On Feb 22, 4:12�pm, "labamba" <spootski...@hotmail.com> wrote:> Hi. > > I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from a > prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't > disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". > Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topics but > the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, > signals and systems, image processing, etc.). > > I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP related > jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've never even > heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR > filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see > things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. > > How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses at > MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP > exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books on DSP > programming in C. Would that do? > > In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do I > have to go to grad school?Given this economy it is a GREAT time to get more education. Look around for an educational bargain. At GA Tech in 1980 if you went for an MSEE (DSP) and were a Teaching Assistant, you paid in-state tuition and got paid enough (assuming you are single) that you could pay your tuition, books, and living expenses, and walk away with a degree and money in the bank (with no student loans). I can't say if that is still the case there or anywhere, but it is worth looking into. IEEE was saying that the average unemployed EE is out of work for 12 months (in US). You could get a masters degree in 12 months at a school whose course schedule supports it. Dirk
Reply by ●February 24, 20102010-02-24
On Feb 23, 6:39�pm, Dirk Bell <bellda2...@cox.net> wrote:> On Feb 22, 4:12�pm, "labamba" <spootski...@hotmail.com> wrote: > > > > > > > Hi. > > > I just graduated in December with a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from a > > prominent Southern California university. For privacy's sake, I won't > > disclose its name but I will say that its mascot rhymes with "shoo-ins". > > Anyway, while I was there I took classes on a lot of different topics but > > the ones I enjoyed the most were the ones on signal processing (DSP, > > signals and systems, image processing, etc.). > > > I'd love to get a job in that field but every time I search for DSP related > > jobs I see several terms in the requirements section that I've never even > > heard of. When I was in college I studied things like FIR filters, IIR > > filters, Z-transforms, sampling, etc. But in these job listings I see > > things like ASIC, FPGA, VHDL, etc. > > > How can I teach myself these things? I'm taking a few free open courses at > > MIT on signal processing and I got a few books on college-level DSP > > exercises for MATLAB, but is that enough? I know I saw a few books on DSP > > programming in C. Would that do? > > > In other words, where should I go if I want to get a DSP related job? Do I > > have to go to grad school? > > Given this economy it is a GREAT time to get more education. �Look > around for an educational bargain. �At GA Tech in 1980 if you went for > an MSEE (DSP) and were a Teaching Assistant, you paid in-state tuition > and got paid enough (assuming you are single) that you could pay your > tuition, books, and living expenses, and walk away with a degree and > money in the bank (with no student loans). I can't say if that is > still the case there or anywhere, but it is worth looking into. �IEEE > was saying that the average unemployed EE is out of work for 12 months > (in US). You could get a masters degree in 12 months at a school whose > course schedule supports it. > > Dirk- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -I think it is harder now. The cost of tuition has gone up much faster than the amount of assistanceship. Now we have had big budget cuts in the state and the universities have annouced more fee increases. But sounds like you got a great deal. Back then I had an employer who paid my undergraduate degree and then my teaching during grad school paid for that. Clay
Reply by ●February 24, 20102010-02-24
On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:09:08 -0800 (PST) Clay <clay@claysturner.com> wrote:> [snip] > > I think it is harder now. The cost of tuition has gone up much faster > than the amount of assistanceship. Now we have had big budget cuts in > the state and the universities have annouced more fee increases. But > sounds like you got a great deal. Back then I had an employer who paid > my undergraduate degree and then my teaching during grad school paid > for that. > > ClayA friend of mine working for a large company that rhymes with Eneral Geletric says that not only do they cover her grad school tuition (up front, not as a reimbursement), but that she also gets PTO for the time that she's in classes. Nice deal if you can get it. Of course, that still leaves the bootstrapping issue of getting the job with EG with only the bachelor's, but that problem is left as an exercise for the student. -- Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology Email address is currently out of order
Reply by ●February 24, 20102010-02-24
On Feb 24, 12:04�pm, Rob Gaddi <rga...@technologyhighland.com> wrote:> On Wed, 24 Feb 2010 07:09:08 -0800 (PST) > > Clay <c...@claysturner.com> wrote: > > [snip] > > > I think it is harder now. The cost of tuition has gone up much faster > > than the amount of assistanceship. Now we have had big budget cuts in > > the state and the universities have annouced more fee increases. But > > sounds like you got a great deal. Back then I had an employer who paid > > my undergraduate degree and then my teaching during grad school paid > > for that. > > > Clay > > A friend of mine working for a large company that rhymes with Eneral > Geletric says that not only do they cover her grad school tuition (up > front, not as a reimbursement), but that she also gets PTO for the time > that she's in classes. �Nice deal if you can get it. �Of course, that > still leaves the bootstrapping issue of getting the job with EG with > only the bachelor's, but that problem is left as an exercise for the > student. > > -- > Rob Gaddi, Highland Technology > Email address is currently out of orderIn the US, when your employer pays for grad school, that is a taxable benefit, unlike the case for undergrad. But tuition wavers offered by the school are however tax exempt! If the school's cost combined with an endentured servant's salary is low enough, its being taxable may not be a big deal. It just depends on where you sit on the pay scale. I enjoyed teaching (for a tuition waiver) at the school as it created no tax issues since I also had a full time day job. Clay
