[badRNG]

>I would recommend getting some microprocessor/electronics kits, like the Arduino ones. If money is tight, Arduino clones are very cheap indeed. You could get going for < $20. You'll need a "bread board" some wires and a microcontroller. I remember getting a _very_ cheap oscilloscope kit too. You can make some cool stuff with sensors etc.

That stuff seems really cool, but as an embedded software engineer who never spent any time learning the ins-and-outs of hardware, it isn't strictly required. Especially if one needs a job quickly, learning C/C++ is difficult enough. Though I'm aware that excludes certain microcontroller-based embedded positions.