What is the work environment like in RF/Communications?
I'm going into electrical engineering mainly out of interest in the above specializations. The issue is that I've never really known what the day-to-day routine of someone working these jobs is. I know most engineers, regardless of being mechanical, electrical, etc..., dwell in your typical office space in front of a computer. I always imagined that RF and Comms would be a little different from the norm, that I'd be able to find a job out in the middle of nowhere doing work in a remote facility that handles satellite communications or radio transmissions.
What I'm starting to get worried about is that maybe I'm going into RF design and DSP with the wrong expectations, and that the jobs I'm interested in are mainly delegated to technologists and technicians. I think going above and beyond to learn the why as much as the how is what attracts me to engineering, but at the same time I loathe the office environment. Being stuck in places like Dallas or Kansas City with your standard office workplace and the accompanying politics just sounds awful.
If I'm wrong about commercial RF/Comms/DSP, are any of the military private contractors any better? I always got a little jelly thinking of all the experienced techies that finished their enlistment swooping into private sector jobs with contractors like L3 or Lockheed in remote facilities. It isn't an accurate image I imagine, but it seems like techs do all the work at those type of facilities.
Posted Jan 11, 2017, 1:43 PM UTC
I've been in the field for around 17 years at different places. It depends on the job. I never liked being stuck behind a computer a lot. I interned in a few positions; test engineering, digital IC design, and RF board level. Liked RF board level the best. Designing RF ICs was behind a computer a lot (bleh). Simulate the crap out of it, spin a mask set for thousands, wait and find out you should have done this instead of that. Have to wait until the next spin to find out if you did it right. Now I'm in avionics and most of my work is board level, fixing problems requires a soldering iron and experimentation. Plenty of time behind a computer, plenty of time on the bench soldering discretes. Tons of time testing, writing reports! :)
Anyway, I like it. Embedded software will get you the jobs, though. It's more difficult for RF. But then again, more job security in RF. Management thinks I perform black magic and that I'm hard to replace. That's a good thing.
Thanks for the info! Looks like I'll give a look at what I can do to approach RF board work in the future. Is job security decent then? I knew that RF/Analog stuff was fuzz to those not in the know, but I'm surprised it is still valued knowledge. I've gotten the impression whatever isn't being done as embedded work is slipping in terms of job security.