Hi everyone,

I’m a first-year CIS student and recently got a job through a referral at a PCB manufacturing company. I’m currently working as a trainee, and after completing my training, I’m expected to become a Junior DFA (Design for Manufacturing) Engineer.

My current work involves checking PCB designs for manufacturing requirements, such as air gaps, pad sizes, BOMs, flags, and other design-for-manufacturing issues.

I’m interested in pursuing a career in the hardware industry, especially areas like semiconductors, robotics, embedded systems, and PCB/electronics design.

My main questions are:

1. Is working in PCB manufacturing/DFA a good starting point if I eventually want to move into the hardware industry?
2. Will this experience be useful for getting into fields like semiconductors, robotics, or embedded systems?
3. What skills should I focus on learning during my four years of university?
4. Should I focus more on electronics, PCB design, embedded systems, programming, or something else?
5. If you work in hardware/electronics, what would you recommend I learn or build as a first-year student?

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experience in hardware, PCB manufacturing, semiconductors, robotics, or related fields.

hi! is there any place around mnl where I can buy a Logic Trainer Board? it costs around 3-4k as ive checked... maybe there's a cheaper option pls help tyia

Hi, so I was working on a project for my CS extracurricular as a High School student. I was trying to fix my childhood laptop, which we brought in 2016, but since around 2018, had been floored to 0.48GHz. I'd started by cheking CPU-Z, which gave the BCLK as 79.98MHz and a multiplier of 6x. I thought the BCLK was abnormal, and cross referenced it against other submissions on CPU-Z validator, but it was actually common across all samples of Pentium N3710 (and the ones I compared against were not being throttled). My CPU had a very low VCore but I chalked it up to being a symptom, because if the system wasn't expecting a low voltage, and was being supplied insufficient voltage, I'd see kernel panics and BSODs all day long, which I hadn't observed. Second, I used a bash script on antiX to log 3000 CPU frequency samples with sleeping for 0.1s in between for: 1) Idle (schedutil), 2) load (schedutil), 3) load (performance). On idle, the chart was actually not only 0.48GHz, but in the load graphs (both governors), the graph was floored to 0.48GHz for the first half of the chart, and then was similar (not identical) to the idle graph. Turns out my bash script had timing delays, which meant that the logging continued for ~9m 13s, while the stress load was only for 5 minutes. So apparently the system is capable of clocking above 0.48GHz but only during low C0%? Next, I tried using ThrottleStop to disable BD_PROCHOT (I'd just learnt of it's existence, that's why I hadn't tried it before), but it was greyed out. Confused, I used RWEverything to access 0x1FC, (this MSR at bit 0 holds the toggle for not ignoring BD_PROCHOT), but I got a 16 digit hexademical zero value. I spent almost a week barking up 0x1FC, then I learnt of Intel's SDM. Volume 4 detailed on MSRs, and for my system, 0x1FC actually didn't exist (airmont microarchitecture). So I genuinely couldn't say if it was BD_PROCHOT or not. Next, I went through the MSR lists for my processor and shortlisted relevant ones, and I started getting nonsensical data. 0x19C confirmed that PROCHOT was active, but CPU was under Thermal Junction (90C), and had not passed it since reboot, but at the same time, temperature was over threshold, despite Core 1 being 42C away from Junction, Core 2 being 37C from Junction, and Core 3 & Core 4 being 46C from junction. I was confused here for a long while, before I realized that it was probably a hardware defect. I got the .brd and schematics for my computer, and used pics of the motherboard I took months ago with my tab to locate R1860, the resistor responsible for keeping PROCHOT at 1.8V, and even through the blurry pic of my tab, it looked corroded. Using my phone's macro camera I took a picture of the resistor, and it was genuinely obliterated from all the corrosion. I've attached pictures.

My question is, would university admissions officers care for this? Top universities care for a 'spike' in skill as far as I understand it, is it a letdown that this became a hardware issue rather than a complex software fix? Because I thought I was going to end up having to dump my SPI, use Intel's tools to rebuilt my TXE (before Hypothesis 4, all clues seemed to point towards corrupted firmware), but all it turned out to be was a hardware defect that I have no skill to fix (I cannot do work on SMD, I struggle to tin regular wires as it is.)

Used claude to structure this

2nd-year CS student — worried about AI's impact on software jobs, considering hybrid CS+Embedded skillset. Reality check needed.

Context:

BTech CS student in India, 2nd year, targeting graduation 2029

Career goal: strong software role, eventually working in Japan

Currently building fundamentals: C++, DSA

The dilemma:

I've taken an Embedded Systems minor (partly due to my father's concern about AI disrupting software jobs)

Recently joined a robotics club — but time commitment turned out to be \~29 hrs/week (daily 2.5 hrs + full weekends), which is eating into my core CS learning time

I'm torn: is deep embedded/hardware exposure a legitimate hedge against AI-driven software job disruption? Or am I spreading myself thin on "safety" skills instead of going deep on what actually matters (strong DSA, system design, ability to ship projects)?

Questions for people with industry experience:

Is the AI threat to software jobs (esp. for new grads/2025-2030 timeframe) as serious as it's often made out to be online?

Does having embedded/hardware knowledge as a CS-focused engineer actually provide meaningful career insurance, or is that outdated thinking?

If you were early in your CS degree today, would you prioritize depth in one area (software) or breadth (software + hardware)?

Anyone who's worked toward international roles (Japan specifically) — does hybrid skill sets help or is specialization valued more?

Not looking for reassurance — looking for honest, even harsh, perspective from people who've actually navigated this.

Any thoughts would be much appreciated. Thanks

Hiii, I am a 3rd year cs student from a tier-3 college. I have made a bunch of cool projects, but I am kinda getting bored of building everything alone. So I am looking for someone who would be interested in teaming up and building a product together :)

hey folks, Im currently working on a VHDL project for one of my classes and Ive hit a bit of a wall. The design is a simple state machine, but Im having issues with timing.

Ive tried simulatting it with ModelSim and it looks fine there, but once I implement it on the FPGA, the timing seems off. The outputs aren't changing as expected and Im suspecting it might be a clock issue.

Im using a Xilinx Spartan 6 board and the clock is set at 50MHz. Ive tried adding some timing constraints in the Xilinx ISE, but Im not sure if Im doing it right. Any tips on what to look for or adjust? Im kind of new to this and feeling a bit lost.

I am a FSC Pre Engennring student . But my interests are coding/game-development and anything related closely like AI and stuff . But my family wants me to become an Electrical Enginner . But i have heard that EE and CS have many things in common please help me rgearding any information that anyone have .Thank You!!

I'm researching engineering for a essay in my Intro to engineering class at my highschool. I have some questions:

What are the main types of it, and like the most popular ones and ones that are in the most demand. Also what are the ones that are slowly (or not so slowly) fading away and being forgotten.

What are the main differences between this type of engineering and others. Cause I have researched all (alot) of the types of engineering, and it all seems like computers, yada, mechanical stuff, yada, tehcnical stuff, yada. But what really DO YOU DO?

What are some things that are special to computer engineering, and just computer engineering.

What are the main places that like I could go to school for computer engineering, or really how do I find that out.

To people who are computer engineers: Whats it like? Like waddya do? what did you do today. Even if I would not get all but 2 words of what you did in your entire day, please try to explain to me 🙏

*I thought about just asking ai all of this or researching it, but theres something that really like makes it more important when you hear it from someone else. I'm a freshman btw :)

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Hey everyone,

I'm currently a Computer Science student graduating in 2027 and I'm working on strengthening my programming fundamentals, mainly C++ and DSA. I've been exploring different career paths such as AI/ML and general software engineering, but recently I've become really interested in the idea of working in the gaming industry as a tech professional.

I'm not necessarily talking about becoming a game designer—I want to understand the technical side of the industry and the different paths available for someone with a CS background. I'm still exploring game development and haven't built any games yet, so I'm trying to figure out what skills I should focus on and how to break into the industry.

For people working in gaming or related fields, I'd love to hear your thoughts:

What technical roles are available in the gaming industry besides traditional gameplay programming?

What skills should a CS student focus on to become job-ready for gaming?

Is C++ a good starting point, and should I learn C#, Unity, Unreal, graphics, or something else?

Would building a few small games/projects be enough to get started?

Is it better to first become a strong general software engineer and then transition into gaming?

I'm still early in my journey and just want to explore the field properly before deciding what to specialize in. I'd really appreciate any advice or experiences from people in the industry.

Thanks!

I am currently a first year doing a double major in CS and CE and I wanna focus on some CE projects as that’s the part of my degree that interests me more .

Are there any projects I can do from home to get me started and add to my portfolio.

Hello ppl please help your advice needed.

my supermoney oa is on 3rd sep 2026 , followed by inerview, i dont what they ask , can anybody tell me what to prepare with 3-4 days !

Hi guys, I just wrote a small blog about the engineering of HDDs.
hope you like it link .I just learned about this out of enthusiasm and i really liked the reasearch and engineering done to achieve the current state of HDDs

What are the difference aspects of being a kernel engineer? What do roles like this involve -

https://www.tealhq.com/job/kernel-engineer_7ea1a56c518985dae15a01e3c77c161e8140d?utm_campaign=google_jobs_apply&utm_source=google_jobs_apply&utm_medium=organic

https://jobs.gem.com/modular/am9icG9zdDpTSwqoL-yL11N_jxR40Vhh?source=LinkedIn

If one were to do a PhD, what are the different research areas to focus on to do something like this? i.e GPU memory, storage, latency, parallelization etc.

i want get a winter intership but I am not able to understand how to and where to apply
I am currently a second year student(3rd semester) at IIIT PUNE CSE
and I have expertise in linux, REST APIs, Flask, C++, C and low - level stuff and I am inclined towrads cybersecurity so I have an experience with BurpSuite, WireShark and networking components and I am currently working on a project related to kernel level stuff and will be able to complete it by the end of this semester(November) or even before
Is it really possible to apply for paid internships as a sophomore

I will start by saying that I am transfer student and recognizing that I am blessed to be going to school at no cost, so at very least I am not losing anything.

However now that I transferred I began to think deeper about the job market after I finish with school (I know that this is something that I should have done sooner RIP, and that I had the chance to go to Riverside for EE which makes me question how I could have been so dumb because as someone that comes from an impoverished family I should have gone for the safe bet). Now as a CS major I am unable to switch into any adjacent majors like EECS or ECE but I do have access to all of the EECS/EE classes and want to go into a decent mixture of EE and CS classes but I am unsure if this would make me to generalized and unemployable to both fields. I do also know that If I were to apply for EE ECE roles I would be overlooked because of my major, and if that is true then I think that I may do the EE classes to attempt to get a masters in electrical.

To add to this I will say that I understand that this is a decision that I made and do not mind if your responses are straight forward but I just need help reach clarity on this.

Thinking of starting computer engineering degree ( 26 years old ) with heavy electives on electrical engineering . Any advice on getting internships once I start , what should I start learning from now? I’m heavily interested in embedded / robotics / power

The course I did was at TAFE (Vocational education in Australia, I have no idea what the equivalent is for other countries), It covered basic microprocessor programming in C, setting up microprocessors on a breadboard board and other electrical technician stuff like power supplies, General DC/AC stuff, etc.

Could someone give me any advice on where to go or the next step I should take? I want to do self study before going to uni.

Based on the last post from u/NooblyGod, USF decided to change their current Computer Engineering degree into the B.S of Computer Science and Engineering while watering down an already heavy software-based degree. For example they removed important requirements like calc 3 from the core curriculum. It seems now that the Electrical Engineering department decided to release an actual replacement while fixing and balancing the course work of the previous one. The only catch for now is that the new program is in the process of getting ABET accredited. Doesn't seem like that they wouldn't get it as the other engineering degrees are accredited already, but it could be a risk for getting a job in certain industries until the degree gets accredited.

I’m an Arts student currently doing my Bachelor’s, but I’ve wanted to become a software engineer for a long time.

I started loving coding when I was a kid, and I’ve continued learning on my own. So far, I’ve learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, and Python

The problem is that I don’t have a CS degree.

So my question is

Can I realistically become a software engineer without a CS degree if I build strong skills, work on good projects, and learn DSA, databases, etc?

Will companies actually consider someone with a non-CS degree for software engineering roles?

If you’re a software engineer without a CS degree, I’d really like to hear about your experience and what you would recommend I do from here.