Analog engineer shortage

I found lots of interesting information on www.edn.com. The post was professionally written and I feel like the author has extensive knowledge in the subject. www.edn.com keep it that way.

I proudly attended the graduation from the University of Florida School of Pharmacy of a student I'd been mentoring for years. I never steered him away from engineering, but he's a bright kid who saw the light to this abused, under-appreciated 'profession'. And the ceremony showed me he made a much better choice: the speakers were hugely encouraging networking and staying in touch with each other, getting politically active to further their profession, advising on career planning and furthering business, a definite warmth and rapport between faculty and graduates I've never seen in any engineering or scientific environment, etc. Here's a profession that looks after itself and takes care of its own! Then you see the many, many comments from real engineers like those posted here, and you hear the corporate suits like Mr. Gates and Mr. Barrett yak their propaganda crap about shortage and not enough American kids getting into engineering and science. Gee, I wonder why...? And yes, I agree, this seriously ignored problem will degrade the world standing and living standard of the USA.

Unfortunately, the people who would switch to engineering for more money, would probably be like the people who chose law or medicine for the money - bad lawyers & dangerous doctors. Money itself isn't everything. If it was, I wouldn't be soldering.

If the IEEE were the ABA or the AMA, then things would be much different. So, I think that we should start a rumor that we have a shortage of politicians, doctors, and lawyers. Let us import a flock of these guys. Hey, maybe with a new crew of politicians, we would at least get health care, like the rest of the industrial world. The Great American Novel, Tom Sawyer, shows the national character. Tom tricks some of his chums to do all of the work painting the fence, while he gets the girl. So, Tom is management, the engineers are still painting the fence. Only now, the fence has moved to India and China. Hell, as Americans, the attitude is, generally, that we all think we are about to be millionaires. It is a great story, until somebody gets sick, or predatory capital axes you. Engineers have always identified with management, much to their detriment.

For some reason, we continuously must be reminded of the the importance of system factors and analog and microwave design. Thanks for the thought-provoking article. However, there are no references in this article about designs gone wrong, etc. There is a perception that you must have some guru engineer, when actually peer reviews and processes can also add quality if implemented in support of bright architects who are minded toward the system constraints of the problem at hand.

I agree that if one specializes in analog or digital, their design skills will be better ( in general) than the person that can do both (better at one that the other ususally). However, many small to medium sized engineering groups cannot afford to have a staff of people divided into two groups. The division of responsiblity will possibly result in longer development cycles and or people under utilized while waiting on the next phase of the development. We know what happens to under utilized resources.

If there is such a shortage, why isn''t corporate America signing up to offer more scholarships to potential American engineering students? The cost of an engineering degree is astronomical and the potential salary of an engineer is not. When I graduated with my engineering degree, my first year''s salary was more than my entire college tuition for 4 years, which I was able to pay for myself. What an investment! Not so, now. They say there is a teacher shortage in some cities, and some state schools are actually offering to pay for people to become teachers. "Agree to teach in our city schools for a few years and we will pay for your degree." When I see this for engineers, then I will be convinced that there is a shortage. I should encourage my son to become a policeman or fireman, or train for a trade, he will make as much or more than an engineer (they do in my town), get more respect, and the education will cost a lot less.

Engineering is a very bad career choice because it can be exported and all be done elsewhere. A trade is much better, it has to be done here, and you can leave at 5:00pm just like everyone else, including the accountants, and managers! Analog signals? What a joke...

This is utter garbage that there is a shortage of analog engineers. It is utter garbage and nonsense that there is any talk of shortage of any kind of engineer. This is mythical crap used by the government and universities to up the enrollment and provide all kinds of cheap labor and H1-B visas.

Being a 'generalist' allows the Company to pay less salary because they are not experts at either. When they become more proficient, they are over priced, and can be found back in the unemployment line. Take your own suggestion and 'train' one for the other (and vice-versa) and create your own beneficial employee.

Two for the price of one!

This is the USA. We don't have shortages here. If somebody needs more analog engineers, salaries will rise and they will come out of the woodwork.