Job Description
Generally, a hw design engineer does the system level design for a product. A prime example is designing the PC motherboard or the ipod.
Just about any product that has chips requires the need for a hardware designer to tie in all the chips together.
As a result, a hardware designer is a jack of all trades knowing a bit about chip design, software, mechanical design and production.
Pros
Unlike chip designers or software monkeys, the hardware design engineer usually owns an entire project.
Advantages 1. HW engineers often own the entire design
2. Flexible hours
3. You get to physically touch the design and play with it
Cons
Like many engineering jobs, there is a concern on outsourcing. However, it is not as concerning as software or chip design jobs at this point.
1. Hours can be long during the end of the project
2. There is alot of different disciplines to learn since the project will likely include software engineers and mechanical engineers
3. The challenges are becoming more difficult and there is an increasing pressure to cost reduce. This can take some of the fun out of the creativity if cost is a strong concern.
Company Size
1000-10,000 employees
Pay Range
$80,001-$90,000
Years in Job
5-10
Education
BSEE
City
San Jose
State
CA
