Hello,

I got this in an email from Reeed :

Hi! I've come across this forum in search for information on electronic engineering. I've come across your profile and decided to contact you. I'm about to enroll into university and I was thinking of studying engineering. I would really like a real-life engineer to tell me little about it. I hope you wouldn't mind answering a few questions for me.

So, I know that most electronic engineers design circuits but I would really like to know if electronic engineers are expected to do things like soldering and similar. Are there a lot of hands-on work or is the designing part mostly carried out on computer? I have some health issues that preclude me from working with solder, and I find electronic engineering to be very interesting and I want to know if there is way of somehow avoiding that part. I was also thinking about computer engineering but I am somehow more inclined towards electronic engineering. My questions reveal how little I know about it, but I find it fun and I am willing to learn more about it.

I hope you would be willing to answer my questions. Thanks in advance.

As there are many engineers here on the forum, I posted the question over here, so you will get (hopefully) several reactions.

I am a service engineer for about 25 years now in NMR and Mass spectromotry.
In the beginning you would troubleshoot at component level, but nowerdays it is mainly boardswapping.
As I also service mass spectrometers, I have to clean them from time to time.
This is a job that makes use of very fine tools to take the things apart to clean them.
You must also re-assemble the instrument of course.

Bertus

 

As part of my job function as a circuit designer/"engineer", I usually have to do a lot of the prototyping and development of new circuit boards using a PC and also build a prototype of the device just to test and debug the hardware and software, so I do a lot of prototyping and soldering .... but is it the solder you can not be around or is it the flux fumes? if it is the solder it could have been the lead based kind, they have solder without lead, and they also make fume extractors for the work area...

 

A real electronics engineer spends a lot of time answering questions from other budding electronics engineer.

Like any other job, you cannot get the full appreciation and feel for the job if you cannot get your hands dirty. Experience on the job is what counts, not book learning.

You can get ventilation systems for soldering stations if the solder fumes cause a problem for you.

A well rounded electronics engineer would be able to design circuits as well as program computers.