Electronics Engineering creates the engineers who invent and produce various types of electronic devices which we use in everyday life, ranging from mobile phones and laptops to washing machines and televisions. Introduction to electronics engineering starts with a bachelor's degree and it may be continued into a master's degree or doctorate degree program. After completing the degree, some countries require engineers to clear the professional exams like AMIE (Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers).
Electronics Engineers are also indulged in Design, Development, Research, Education, Circuitry Design and Testing of the systems, components, equipment or devices that use electricity as part of their source of power. The components included are transistors, inductors, capacitors, resistors and diodes which are used for designing of an analog circuit, analog RF and microwave circuit and system design. Also, the digital circuit can be designed using knowledge of Verilog Hardware Description Languages(VHDL), Computer Architecture and Organization or Embedded Systems etc. The R&D (research and development) for electronics engineers involves the innovative conception, designing, simulation and prototyping of electronic devices. When it comes to manufacturing, electronics engineers overlook the quality control and process oversight. As far as academic work is concerned, it is often composed of writing and reviewing of the professional research papers on electronics engineering.
An Electronics Engineer usually works in a cross-functional project team with colleagues belonging to other branches of engineering, working in various areas as electronics are used in several fields as Defence, Robotics, Nanotechnology, Radio and Satellite Communication, etc.
An Electronics Engineer on an average earns the salary of Rs 3 LPA (Approx). Most people switch on to other jobs if they have more than 10 years of experience in this field. Experience has a moderate effect on income for this job. There are various skills that help to increase the pay for this job the most are MATLAB and Embedded / Real-Time / RTOS.
The salary range for EC freshers belonging to Non-IIT institutes ranges from Rs. 1.5 LPA to Rs. 3.5 LPA (Approx). While the range of salary for electronics engineers belonging to IIT’s is from Rs. 3.5 LPA to Rs.11 LPA for freshers in Bangalore being the major hub.
Nowadays more and more graduates are looking for alternative jobs in various fields including Banking, Defence, Marine, and Education sector jobs but they are not many in number.
Electronics Engineers generally work for Electronics Designing and Manufacturing Companies. They can also work as service technicians for huge companies that rely on specialists in the field of electronic equipment. Electronic Engineering graduates are also usually hired in various different industries. However, there are different requirements of the different employers in the range of industries, such as IT, Telecommunications, Aerospace, Defence, Science, and Manufacturing. With an adequate amount of experience, you can specialize in departments such as project management, research, and development, or consultancy.
There are plenty of Electronics jobs, but still, there is an acute shortage of electronics engineers. Most probably the reason is that there is a lack of practical knowledge among students. Therefore, there is no dearth of jobs in Electronics Engineering, rather there is a lack of employable engineers. Also, the number of openings are nowhere near close to the IT and Service Sector. To be more factual, Renesas Electronics Corporation, one of the largest semiconductor manufacturer has approximately 34000 Employees throughout the world. In India, TCS and CTS hire that many freshers each year.
Job opportunities in Electronics Engineering are mostly available in developed & developing countries like USA, UK, New Zealand, China, and Singapore. In India, various industrial cities like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai have better scope for this field. The top recruiters include Essar, Intel, BSNL, BHEL, Godrej, Samsung, LAVA, LG etc.
The Electronics Engineer provides specialization in various fields which are meant to build and enhance the practical knowledge of students as well as the theoretical grounding of this important emerging disciplinary engineering field. Some of these fields are-
In order to become an Electronics Engineer an individual needs to have a Bachelor’s of Technology degree in Electronics Engineering (B.E. / B.Tech) or must have appeared and the Associate Membership Examination of the Institute of Engineers (AMIE) in Electronics or must clear Graduate Membership Examination of the Institution of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers or at least have a diploma in Electronics Engineering.
Electronics Engineering (or Telecommunication engineering) aspirants must start their academic career in Science at the intermediate level(class 12th) i.e. 10+2 (with Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics). After completion of class intermediate or plus two in science stream, they have to appear for entrance examinations which are yearly conducted both at National and State level (e.g. JEE Mains, JEE Advanced, BITSAT, VITEEE etc.).
Entrance to the IIT's is through JEE Advanced (Joint Entrance Examination Advanced) and for other major institutions (IIITs , NITs, and GFTIs) through JEE Mains (Joint Entrance Examination Mains). State level entrance exams allow students to enroll themselves in other engineering institutes. Some private universities conduct their own entrance exams(e.g. AMITY University, SRM University, and VITEEE etc.). After qualifying the entrance exam they would take up BE/B.Tech in Electronics engineering program .
One can also get an admission in Diploma Program after completion of their class 10th. Here they will be recognized with the status of a junior engineer but not as a Bachelor’s of Engineering. Those having further interest in studies can pursue M.Tech Program offered by Indian Institutes of Technology and few other engineering colleges and universities across the country.
Individuals having interests in the field of research areas can pursue Ph.D. after completion of their Post Graduation Degree for carrying out research work.
The Course duration varies according to type of course for which you are pursuing, is given below-
The duration of the Under Graduate(UG) courses is of 4 years for the Bachelor’s of Technology (B.Tech) in Electronics Engineer while the duration of the Diploma course in Polytechnics is of 3 years.
The M.Tech. Degree is basically of two years, minimum eligibility for which is a B.Tech degree and Candidate must be GATE(Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) qualified to pursue their Post Graduation (PG) in Electronics.