| As somebody who got self-learned into electronics engineering on the workplace, I'd say self-learning is the hard way. I want to underscore the e͟n͟g͟i͟n͟e͟e͟r͟i͟n͟g͟ in the electronics engineering. Engineering everywhere is very hands on, and you cannot be an "engineer in theory only" if you want to perform on a job. Learning from mistakes in a class setting is much easier, and c͟h͟e͟a͟p͟e͟r͟ than casually failing a USD $1M design in a very simply way, but a way not taught in any textbook. Not to disparage you, I know many people who were similarly dragged into electronics engineering by necessity, and got to the level of degreed engineers over many years.
COB
But those guys had years, and years to perfect their skills in a time when the industry was more forgiving, and was growing with their skill. I would say that today, nobody will hire a 18 year guy who was just an electronics hobbyist to a factory, that was not the case 12-10 years ago. What I can say against modern electronics engineering education is that excessive focus on producing "workplace ready" cadres makes for worse workers past the basic level. I know people who are quite adept with digital electronics, but can't even understand how anything but textbook versions of SMPS power supplies work because of universities thought that analog circuits are now what people pay for. This the same for many more fields in electronics. I believe properly taught EE can figure out just anything with the right approach, and time, and this attitude is the best what education can give you, unlike mass produced engineers who keeping find lame excuse "I'm not a logic/power/high speed/rf/motion control/asynchronos circuit/metrology/network/audiovideo engineer! I did not study this at school!" |