Hi all

I want to build a portfolio of work for becoming a junior software / embedded systems engineer and need some ideas on how to do this.

I was planning on making a web site portfolio with each project containing

1). The aim of the project
2) The spec for the product (1st project being an encoder box that can output an AB, UVW and Sin/Cos signal)
3). A research document on how AB works etc
4). A schematic and pcb layout of the product
5). A psuedocode and flow chart document
6). The actual C and C# code including the headers etc
7). An explaination of the code and a reference to recommended books and coding practices I used i.e defines vs constants, If else statements vs switch statements etc

Does this sound good? Feedback would be great!
Can anyone recommend something better or totally different or point me to some good examples?

Thank you

 

This is not an option. It is mandatory.

• Concept
• Research
• Design
• Implementation
• Analysis
• Documentation

This is standard practice in engineering. It is called documentation.
As they say,

 

Hi MrChips, I work as a Hardware technician but never have access to the software development side of things. Is there a name for this practice and a guide to the procedure or does the practice vary from company to company?

 

IMHO- I think to be fair, beyond simply learning how to do things, I think you need an end-goal in mind. What field do you want to address, and then as your code abilities mature, you can slowly address more projects that advance you towards that goal.

As for coding- it is driven by your imagination and your ability, and what you have access to- for example, if you like PIC microcontrollers, or ATMEGA microntrollers, you usually pick one or the other based on the instruction set and the ease with which you understand the documentation, have access to tools (like compilers) and so forth.

Beyond that, how well you can translate an idea into logic, and then code that logic efficiently in order to get a result (controlling your hardware) is purely based on your ability, and your ability to read, research, explore, and learn.

There is no school of thought per se- and this is why there has always been a 'rub' or division between coders .v. engineers- Coders tend to like to think of themselves as 'artists' (prima-donnas in some people's opinions), and engineers like to see themselves methodical, progressive, systematic. The truth is, both deal in logic, and can be mastered mutually well.

Rare is the individual who can master both disciplines well. Usually these are the 'old school' folks on a forum like this. Experience is a huge teacher- let others lift you onto their shoulders and give you the benefit of their experience if you can, it will save you time and effort. Books, web-sites, and forums are a great place to start.

 

What are you passionate about?

The people I know that are successful at this are usually driven by a strong self-directed interest in something.
Start a project that inspires- all the rest follows easily if you are having fun.

Without the supernatural power that comes from really enjoying something, you will soon tire of the endless hours of work all this requires.