Hi, I'm new in this forum and I just want to make a decision about my career in the future as a 3rd year - student.
Which one is more in demand by companies all over the world; hardware design engineer, software or AI?

Thanks.

 

Hi, I'm new in this forum and I jus want to make a decision about my career in the future as a 3rd year - student.
Which one is more in demand by companies all over the world; hardware design engineer, software or AI?

Thanks.

From my experience, if you want a lifelong career, I would recommend hardware design engineering. Your knowledge and experience in that subject will increase over your lifetime by adding to fundamentals that will not change.
Software engineering is a very volatile and fast changing subject. Companies tend to hire the brightest graduates, work them very hard and then dump them when they burn out. I have seen this happen to a number of my associates during my long engineering career.
AI is just the latest and greatest application of software engineering.

 

Welcome to AAC.

To put a different perspective on @KeithWalker‘s answer, your question:

Which one is more in demand by companies all over the world; hardware design engineer, software or AI?

is not the one to ask if you are concerned about your career. So long as you think in terms of the probability of being hired after you leave school you will miss the important things you should do to prepare yourself for a lifetime of work.

Before even worrying about a specialization, you need to concern yourself with learning to think like an engineer. That is, you need to be able to solve problems. This means you need to be able to clearly define the problem to be solved. This is something that is probably not directly taught in your coursework but it is indirectly and you need to become an expert at it.

Next you need to be able to do research on anything that might be relevant to the problem or its solution. Research skills are critical to success, and again this may not be taught directly but it is part of what is required to pass your courses—hone your skills to get a good start before you leave school.

In both of the cases above, use the amazing resources of your professors to help. You won’t have that when you leave. Learn the value of seeking advice from experts, and how to do it. Always add to your network of experts when you can, and share whatever expertise you develop as well.

Find a mentor. Find a person with real experience, expertise, and a compatible style of thinking who is willing to help you become the best engineer you can be. This is not necessarily easy but it will make a big difference to your success. Many people are willing, even happy, to mentor someone who is enthusiastic and ready to learn.

Learn about both hardware and software. While you might choose one or the other as a focus, knowing about both makes you much more valuable. Don’t make the mistake of picking one and ignoring the other. I agree with @KeithWalker that hardware is more likely to be the stable platform for a career.

But, if you choose software, learn about the fundamentals of programming languages and their compilers; operating systems, programming methodologies, user interface design, and project management. Set yourself up to be independent of any programming language or OS. Additionally learn about the fundamentals of algorithms and programming frameworks—don‘t rely on any one “popular” option, don’t become a “technician”.

Concerning hardware, learn about circuits so you really understand them. Don’t just pass e-mag, learn it so that you actually understand it. Build things while you have the chance. Take practical labs, join robotics competitions, do anything that will get you hands on time designing and building practical circuits. There is so much to be learned from this it is difficult to sufficiently emphasize how important it is.

I will stop here. I hope the underlying idea of this is clear. Good luck!

 

I certainly would not choose AI. In 10 years, AI will bear no resemblance to what they are calling AI today.

 

Who cares what's in demand... What do you want to do?

 

To elaborate - I've seen way too many friends choose careers that are more in demand (which is just code for 'what makes the most money') but it comes across in their business life too and they're often times less successful.

 

Should Computer programming be consider unviable in the future, due to AI advancements?

Should we just consider it to be a secondary to other fields that seem to be able to not be replaced by AI in the immediate future?

 

Especially, with the development of self-programmed AI.

 

AI is just software. Learning software has been around for decades, especially in manufacturing. It only does what it is programmed to do. The hype about AI is mostly being created by investors who are trying to make a fast buck and by the media who are using its possibilities for sensationalism.

 

AI is just software. Learning software has been around for decades, especially in manufacturing. It only does what it is programmed to do. The hype about AI is mostly being created by investors who are trying to make a fast buck and by the media who are using its possibilities for sensationalism.

I see what you mean, thanks for the reply.

 

Forget about demand and other things. What is your passion. Choose it. Best wishes