Digital Electronics and Communication Engineering opens up great career prospects for the students. After completion of a degree, potential students can easily get recruitment in teaching, manufacturing industries and service organisations like broadcasting, consulting and others, says Dr Pawan Whig
The application of digital electronics in our lives is undeniably huge and varied. The work of a digital electronics engineer is to manufacture or control anything that is digital. But the job of a digital electronics engineer is not limited to the auto industry alone.
Thousands of everyday devices that we use constantly make use of electronics technology in order to operate. These are products ranging from automotive engines to automated equipment in production settings.
Electronic devices are being used in the health field, not only to assist in diagnosis and determination of medical problems, but to assist in the research that is providing treatment and cures for illnesses and even genetic anomalies.
Equipment such as MRI, CAT and the older X-rays, tests for diabetes, cholesterol and other blood component tests all rely on electronics in order to do their work quickly and accurately. Pacemakers and similar equipment implanted in the body is now almost common.
Using electronics today is so much a part of our lives that we cannot do without them. Music is a prime user of electronics, both in recording and in playback mode. Stereos, record players, tape decks, cassette players, CD drives and DVD players are all the result of advances in electronics technology in the last few decades. When you add Bluetooth or headphones the music can be heard by the user, but does not disturb those nearby.
Scope
The students completing their studies in Digital Electronics have a great scope as it is one of the most popular branches of engineering. Digital Electronics and Communication Engineering opens up great career prospects for the students.
After completion of a degree, students can easily get recruitment in teaching, manufacturing industries and service organisations such as broadcasting, consulting, data communication, entertainment, research and development and system support.
The candidates can also work in modern multimedia service firms that are involved in real-time transfer of information through video conferencing and internet broadcasting. The application of digital electronics is tremendous and stupendous.
It provides job opportunities in almost every industry one can think of: military, medical, automobiles, home (personal to professional), IT, manufacturing companies. Some of the firms that require candidates of Digital Electronics for academic and research works are BHEl (Bharat Heavy Electricals limited), VSSC (Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre) and DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation).
Skills
There is a demand for critical thinking to get the job done in the right way. A proper knowledge of the practical application of engineering science is essential for students pursuing digital electronics. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
Other necessary skills are :
Job prospects
Digital electronics engineer designs and develops the systems used by machines and equipment in many industries such as telecommunications, IT, aerospace, defence, manufacturing. With greater experience, one can specialise in research and development, project management or consultancy.
The opportunities for digital electronics and communication engineers are ample as they are employed in variety of sectors such as Civil Aviation, Development Centres in various States, Indian Telephone Industries, Defence, National Physical laboratory of India(NPl), All India Radio(A.I.R), Posts and Telegraph Department, Bharat Heavy Electricals limited (BHEl), Telecommunication, Software Engineering/IT, Power sector, Defence Research and Development Organisation (D.R.D.O), Hardware Manufacturing, Home Appliance and VlSI(Very large Scale Integrated) design, Television Industry and Research & Development.
Some job profiles are:
Eligibility
The candidate should have a Bachelor's or Master's degree in engineering to pursue a career in Digital Electronics. Digital Electronics course are offered at both graduation and post graduation levels across various Institutes of Technology in India. The candidate must complete 10+2 with high scores in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry for Bachelor's Degree. The duration of the course is 4 years. For the post graduation degree in Digital electronics, candidates must have a Bachelor's degree with at least 50% marks with an associate engineering degree (Electronics & Communication Engineering).
Some of the prominent institutions across provide B.Tech & M. Tech degrees in Digital Electronic Communication are as follows:
Remuneration
As a junior telecom officer/technical engineer/survey and maintenance engineer offer salary between Rs10,000 - Rs32,000 every month. In the private sector, the package offered is Rs3, 50,000 - Rs4, 00,000 lakh pa. The high caliber graduates with specialisation in mobile computing and VlSI Design are offered higher packages more than Rs4, 00,000 lakhs per annum.
(The writer is the dean of Rajasthan Institute of Engineering & Technology)