 Henry Williams, student at Columbus Tech
Well, the answer would be graduates of electronics and computer engineering programs. Those students end up in jobs where they help engineers
develop, research, manufacture and service all of these devices.
To meet the needs of industry, which makes heavy use of computers in all aspects of engineering, the traditional electronics engineering program has been replaced with a new Electronics and Computer Engineering Technology program with three areas of specialization.
"A good thing that DTAE has offered us is the option of flexibility to cater to local industry," said Wayne Brown, faculty member in the engineering department at DeKalb Tech and chair of the State Consortium of Electronic Engineering. "That's a big, big plus."
The new program combines previous mechanical and electronics training and adds computers to it. Plus programs at different technical institutes are dictated by local needs; that is, how much mechanical versus how much electronics need to be included in the program of study.
"One of the big employers for our graduates is TBS," Brown said. "You'd think they'd want people trained in areas like microwave technologies. But what they're really looking for are people with strong computer backgrounds, strong networking skills and experience with UNIX."
Three areas of specialization are offered.
"We have students who already work in areas of industry and want to upgrade their skills," Brown said. "They are already making money and going to school part-time.
When they're done, they may get a raise and may earn around $45,000." With no previous experience, entry-level pay is $21,000 to about $30,000.
For the conscientious individual, this profession offers plenty of room for advancement.
"As a matter of fact, there are more jobs than graduates," Brown said. "If somebody doesn't get a job, I don't know what the reason would be."
EMPLOYMENT AND OUTLOOK: 23 percent increase in the number of jobs in Georgia by 2005. |
n a world filled with electronics equipment ranging from radios, radar, televisions and computers to industrial and medical measuring and control devices — you may wonder who really understands all those things.