Where do the fields of electrical engineering and computer science cross and where are they going?

[DinkinFlicka]

I'm in the process of researching EE and CS for an essay I have to write and I figured I would check here to see if anyone has some valuable personal experience.

It's a college essay that asks about my future plans, major-wise and career-wise, and why those fields/programs interest you (EE and CS are what I planned on doing).

Innovation is something that fascinates me, but I feel like some of the things I am interested in that fall under EE or CS (virtual reality, AI, anything Google does), is too specific/I don't know how to write around them or where I would go with them.

So basically, I'm curious to know if there are any electrical engineers or computer scientists out here that think what they do is fascinating, and what those things are. If you do both, that's even better!

Thanks a bunch!

[dhc014]

Mix EE and Computer Science and you get Computer Engineering!

[DinkinFlicka]

Mix EE and Computer Science and you get Computer Engineering!

Yup. I thought about doing solely computer engineering, but some people advised to double in EE and CS (or major in one and minor in the other) for versatility.

[orangefob7]

EE, of course, just focuses on hardware. Some programming might be required for firmware, or perhaps for scripts to help in designing something. Cpr E is focused on software and interaction with the hardware. CS, in the sense of the field of study, is theoretical: architecture, compilers, efficiency. In practice, of course, I believe them work is not so theoretically focused.

[orangefob7]

EE, of course, just focuses on hardware. Some programming might be required for firmware, or perhaps for scripts to help in designing something. Cpr E is focused on software and interaction with the hardware. CS, in the sense of the field of study, is theoretical: architecture, compilers, efficiency. In practice, of course, I believe them work is not so theoretically focused.

To clarify, Cpr E also does some hardware design in terms of architecture, and designing in terms of "logic blocks." Typically it doesn't get too deep into the circuits, other than the transistors form a block of logic.

[Rebound]

I have worked in many high tech companies -- pure hardware (finished goods), consumer software, network services, and semiconductors. In some cases there is zero overlap, while in others there is substantial overlap. By and large, there is little overlap, and the respective professionals are specialized.

Before challenging this, look at all the specialties just in software -- there's business process software, application software, games, UI,
device drivers, network routing, just to name a few, and a specialist in any of those fields probably would not transition to another.

None of the software companies I worked at employed electrical engineers. All of the hardware and semiconductor companies had full-time software engineers. When we bring up new chips, an engineer feeds it signals, hits registers, and validates operation on an oscilloscope or other test instrument. This is the closest integration of electrical engineering and software, besides architecture. In chip architecture, it's often necessary to marry software design with digital design, like when you need to create a hardware-based MPEG decoder.

While I agree that any software engineer should understand the basics and know how the machine works, in practice, there is not a lot of crossover, and I've been at the companies where this crossover is strongest.

[redmaxx]

I have worked in many high tech companies -- pure hardware (finished goods), consumer software, network services, and semiconductors. In some cases there is zero overlap, while in others there is substantial overlap. By and large, there is little overlap, and the respective professionals are specialized.

Before challenging this, look at all the specialties just in software -- there's business process software, application software, games, UI,
device drivers, network routing, just to name a few, and a specialist in any of those fields probably would not transition to another.

None of the software companies I worked at employed electrical engineers. All of the hardware and semiconductor companies had full-time software engineers. When we bring up new chips, an engineer feeds it signals, hits registers, and validates operation on an oscilloscope or other test instrument. This is the closest integration of electrical engineering and software, besides architecture. In chip architecture, it's often necessary to marry software design with digital design, like when you need to create a hardware-based MPEG decoder.

While I agree that any software engineer should understand the basics and know how the machine works, in practice, there is not a lot of crossover, and I've been at the companies where this crossover is strongest.
This sounds about right. The work you're doing describes what the expected job roles are for Computer Science Engineering majors from the college I went to (ASU). Computer Science majors were expected to be purely software and move onto jobs like what I do now (software engineer, designing, implementing and testing software). I would not be qualified to do the work you described, as my degree only had a few courses that dealt directly with hardware. Almost all of what I did was at the software level, be it theory or application.

OP, the terms Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science and Computer Science Engineering all vary from university to university. What you need to do is break-down the programs you're looking at into their major-specific courses and analyze the differences and similarities between the two.

[vinvam]

EE - Hardware
CE - Little bit of both
CS - Software
EECS - A lot of both

[dude2000]

do you really need to understand all tech details about internal combustion engine in order to be a driver ? :)
p.s
lately unless you are in hardcore development team it’s about configuration not about programming.

[LiquidRetro]

This would be a good source and I am sure they have articles talking about the future of the industry. http://spectrum.ieee.org/

[Count_Chocula]

More like Electronics Engineerin than Electrical

[Rebound]

do you really need to understand all tech details about internal combustion engine in order to be a driver ? :)
p.s
lately unless you are in hardcore development team it’s about configuration not about programming.Brilliant. If you do not design or develop a product, then you do not need to know how.

[Rebound]

I'm in the process of researching EE and CS for an essay I have to write and I figured I would check here to see if anyone has some valuable personal experience.

It's a college essay that asks about my future plans, major-wise and career-wise, and why those fields/programs interest you (EE and CS are what I planned on doing).

Innovation is something that fascinates me, but I feel like some of the things I am interested in that fall under EE or CS (virtual reality, AI, anything Google does), is too specific/I don't know how to write around them or where I would go with them.

So basically, I'm curious to know if there are any electrical engineers or computer scientists out here that think what they do is fascinating, and what those things are. If you do both, that's even better!

Thanks a bunch!I thought about this some more. Here is what I have learned in my career: What businesses and industry really want are breakthrough innovations. Google's search engine was a breakthrough. I work in semiconductors. I need a breakthrough every single year. Gradual improvement - 10 or 15% faster each year - does not fuel growth. 10% improvement combines with 15% price reduction to make you lose revenue year-over-year. There can be a million software engineers and 100 who make great innovations. To be that innovator, you need everything: Great imagination, great perseverance, and great luck. But you also need to be a master of your discipline, or else you can only imagine it.

In the late 1800's, the Director of the US Patent Office declared that everything that could be invented, had already been invented. After all the recent innovations, he felt that the world had reached the end of innovation. WOW was he ever wrong! There is so much room for new invention and innovation. It is the stuff of the dreamers of dreams, but to turn that dream into reality, you need to have a solid technical grounding. It does not matter what area of technology you choose to specialize in; innovation is available everywhere.

[brbubba]

Yup. I thought about doing solely computer engineering, but some people advised to double in EE and CS (or major in one and minor in the other) for versatility.

Whoaaa, that's a load and a half. I went in wanting to do EE and ME and it was hard enough for me just to do ME. Warranted I'm hardly your typical engineer, but it's still very difficult to come out with a dual degree in those fields. And it's even harder still if you expect to have any kind of a life outside of class.

[BoboLuck]

Whoaaa, that's a load and a half. I went in wanting to do EE and ME and it was hard enough for me just to do ME. Warranted I'm hardly your typical engineer, but it's still very difficult to come out with a dual degree in those fields. And it's even harder still if you expect to have any kind of a life outside of class.

I agree. Its definitely quite difficult to do a double major with the exception of what I'm thinking of doing(Electrical Engineering and Wireless Engineering). If you've got time and money then I guess its not so bad.

[larrymoencurly]

Here is what I have learned in my career: What businesses and industry really want are breakthrough innovations. Google's search engine was a breakthrough. I work in semiconductors. I need a breakthrough every single year. Gradual improvement - 10 or 15% faster each year - does not fuel growth. 10% improvement combines with 15% price reduction to make you lose revenue year-over-year. There can be a million software engineers and 100 who make great innovations. To be that innovator, you need everything: Great imagination, great perseverance, and great luck. But you also need to be a master of your discipline, or else you can only imagine it.I thought sales people and other hypsters believed in breakthroughs, but engineers and scientists knew better.

Google's search engine wasn't a breakthrough and has never worked well. No search engine works well.

A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail about a chip that was first introduced 40 years ago and is still sold in large numbers.

[larrymoencurly]

do you really need to understand all tech details about internal combustion engine in order to be a driver ? :)
p.s
lately unless you are in hardcore development team it’s about configuration not about programming.What if your job is to write the program that controls the fuel injection, meaning you need to know a lot about combustion and emissions and how intake manifold air flow and pressure affect the puddles created by the fuel injectors?

[brbubba]

What if your job is to write the program that controls the fuel injection, meaning you need to know a lot about combustion and emissions and how intake manifold air flow and pressure affect the puddles created by the fuel injectors?

For a job that big you would have many engineers working on it, so one engineer would know about all that other stuff and then direct you to correct your program.

[Rebound]

I thought sales people and other hypsters believed in breakthroughs, but engineers and scientists knew better.

Google's search engine wasn't a breakthrough and has never worked well. No search engine works well.I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinion.