CAREER: Computer engineering

Published January 9, 2009

This article is meant for all those youngsters who want to make a career in computer engineering. It is aimed to guide them about the wide scope and career options for computer engineers. So if you want to pursue a career in computer engineering and don't have enough information, read these guidelines to give you a clear perspective about this field.
Today, computers are used in almost every aspect of our lives and it is one of the fastest growing industries of the world and that growth promises to continue well in the next century. There is myriad number of sub careers in computing profession, for instance, one can choose a career in academia, research, government and private organisations.

Mainly computer engineering is divided into two broad categories
1. Vendor specific or industry specific field
2. Research or academic field
I) Vendor specific or industry specific field
This field is divided into four main subfields discussed below
(1) Networking
Networking expertise remains critical within IT departments. Every organisation whether it is small or huge has network infrastructure. It is the backbone of any organisation. Nowadays we can have online bank transactions, we can get information about any part of the world just sitting on our PC because of networking. Hundreds of branches of different organisations are connected together with the help of networking.

Responsibilities for networking professionals include
• Maintenance and management of servers.
• Install, upgrade and configure client accounts, network printing, rights and security.
• Design and support of new and existing network connectivity.
• Maintain and expand local area networks (LAN), wide area network (WAN)
The two main categories of networking are
1. System administration
2. Network administration

Certification
There are different vendors and they have their own certification tracks. Some of them are
• Cisco (CCNA, CCNP, CCDA, CCSP, CCIE, CCVP)
• Microsoft (MCSE , MCSA)
• Red hat (RHCE , RHCT ) and etc
(2) Technical Support

Nowadays, with the rapid growth in technology, organisations are focusing more on online business, therefore there's a huge demand for people who can support and train external and internal customers.
Responsibilities of the technical support professionals include
• Support and troubleshoot end-user hardware and software.
• Provide training to the end-users and answers technical questions about various software applications and equipments.
(3) Databases

Database is another emerging and growing field within IT departments as companies look to collect, store and analyse existing customers' data housed within their internal systems. Database administration and management is critical and pivotal to any organisation where there is need of storing data such as financial institutions (banks).
Responsibilities for the database specialists include
• Database creation, migration and maintenance
• Database backup and recovery
• Database problem diagnostics and resolution
• Tuning databases for optimal performance and archiving of data
Certification
There are different vendors and they have their own certification tracks and some of them are
1. Oracle (OCA, OCP, OCM)
2. MYSQL
3. SQLSERVER and etc
4. Programming
Programming is a vast field and it is divided into many sub fields such as application development, quality assurance, game programming, Internet/Intranet development etc. If anyone wants to make a place in this area then strong mathematics background is indispensable for him because this field greatly depends on mathematical concepts.
Application development

Application development deals with writing, designing, testing and supporting complex software programs that run on internal systems of an organisation.

Internet/Intranet development
Those individuals who are expert in using Active Server Pages (ASP), java script and .NET platform can go in this field and key responsibilities for internet/intranet developers are
• Creating internet, intranet and extranet sites.
• Maintaining and supporting e-commerce sites and managing web-based application.
II) Research or Academic field
Those individuals who don't want to go for technical field, they can choose academia or research field. There are many universities in Pakistan as well as aboard offering computer engineering degree programmes, therefore, one can choose to become a lecturer, professor or researcher.
You can conduct research in any of the following fields
• Artificial intelligence
• Computer design and engineering, which include designing new computer circuits, microchips, and other electronic components. · Software engineering
• Computer theories
• The design and analysis of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration) systems, computer architecture
• Coding, cryptography and information protection
• Embedded systems.
• Signal, image, and speech processing
• Communications and wireless networks
Software engineering companies, telecommunications firms, designers of digital hardware, and many other business enterprises such as banks, IT consultancy providers, ISPs (Internet service providers), airlines and universities have high scope for computer engineers and they pay them handsome salaries.

Computer engineering is a growing field and everyday we get to know about a new achievement in this field, therefore, choosing a profession in computer engineering can give you a lucrative career path and a prosperous future.

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