I've been thinking about majoring in computer engineering (i'm 15 and still have a long way to go). My dream job is to be a hardware engineer at some place like Intel, or Nvidia, and maybe even a startup, and was wondering what other uses a computer engineering degree would have? (i.e. Software, OS building, Servers, etc)

 

Welcome to AAC!

In my latter years at Intel, I worked with a number of people who had computer engineering degrees (all PhD). They were being hired into jobs that were more software than hardware, but their exposure to electrical engineering was helpful (where a person with a CS degree would be disadvantaged).

Hardware (microprocessor design) positions were more likely to be filled by people with electrical engineering degrees (MS and PhD).

 

Thank you for the inside info! It's interesting that the hardware engineering positions, were taken by Electrical Engineers, instead of actual computer engineers.

 

Thank you for the inside info! It's interesting that the hardware engineering positions, were taken by Electrical Engineers, instead of actual computer engineers.

Seems right to me..
Computer Engineering to me is a bit more focused on software than hardware..
There is hardware involved but just so that you can actually get your software to do something outside of the virtual world

 

It's interesting that the hardware engineering positions, were taken by Electrical Engineers, instead of actual computer engineers.

My impression of a computer engineering degree is that it combines aspects of computer science and electrical engineering; without intending to be an expert in either discipline.

 

Thanks for all the info on this degree! I was also wondering if the work/life balance in the hardware designing field is really as bad as everyone says it is?

 

I've been thinking about majoring in computer engineering (i'm 15 and still have a long way to go). My dream job is to be a hardware engineer at some place like Intel, or Nvidia, and maybe even a startup, and was wondering what other uses a computer engineering degree would have? (i.e. Software, OS building, Servers, etc)

Not many vacancies on the hardware side, they all seem to want software people.

 

Computer science is basically applied mathematics and logic, aka software, and electronics is applied physics, aka hardware. There are some fields where the two come very close together and you need to deeply understand both, but most of the guys just stay mainly with one or the other.

Thanks for all the info on this degree! I was also wondering if the work/life balance in the hardware designing field is really as bad as everyone says it is?

I don´t know how other guys have it, but I have a nice 9 to 5 job designing fail-safe products without any overtimes and other such nonsense, so I think the work/life balance is pretty good.

 

Not many vacancies on the hardware side, they all seem to want software people.

Maybe in the US, here the market is pretty much empty and there are a lot of vacancies for both, but all the people that are good enough to be hired are already working elsewhere and it is very hard to get them to change jobs.

 

I would suggest that you look the suggested technical courses for computer engineering at a school you might go to.
That will give an indication of how many are software related and how many are hardware related.

 

Thanks for all the info on this degree! I was also wondering if the work/life balance in the hardware designing field is really as bad as everyone says it is?

It takes a time commitment to be good. Even after 30 years in the field, I was working around 60 hours a week.