Job outlook for hardware design engineers in the United States

What Hardware Design Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: The most important skill is the ability to learn new things, and especially to unlearn things you “know” after evidence demonstrates that these things are not true. Learn how to analyze information. Your intuition, simulations, and results should all be in alignment. If they are not, then dig deeper. Learn the terminology and jargon specific to your company and your projects. Spend time reading. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by new software.

What will help Hardware Design Engineers increase their earning potential?

Steven Schennum Ph.D. P.E.: Put a good resume together and follow suggestions of people who are experts at preparing resumes. Before you have an interview, practice interviewing. Participate in a mock interview and listen to feedback. Maximize salary potential by documenting your accomplishments, your work, and your results. Keep a journal. If you have good documentation, you can more easily make a case for promotion when the time comes.

What Hardware Design Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Min Song: Communication skills and innovative thinking skills. As emerging technologies continue to be complex and multidisciplinary, it’s important to be able to communicate with professionals in diverse disciplines. Taking robotics, for example, the electrical engineer must be able to work with mechanical and biomechanical engineers, computer engineers, software engineers, artificial intelligence experts, cognitive scientists, system engineers, etc. A person will be able to generate innovative ideas only if the person has a complete and comprehensive understanding of the entire system and can work well with other individuals with a range of expertise.

What will help Hardware Design Engineers increase their earning potential?

Min Song: Have an open mind and be willing to learn new knowledge and skills. College education primarily focuses on the development of critical and creative thinking skills, the learning of fundamental principles and design methodologies, and the building up of enthusiasm and dedication to lifelong learning. Starting a professional career requires new graduates develop the ability to translate the knowledge and skills developed in school to solving complex, real-world problems.

What general advice would you give to a Hardware Design Engineer?

Aaron Stillmaker Ph.D.: I highly encourage students starting to look for jobs to get their resume polished both by talking with a trusted professor and taking advantage of career centers at their university. I always suggest that students highlight fascinating projects on their resumes that highlight their knowledge base without having to list skills, and they need to be ready to talk intelligibly about those projects. I would make sure to prepare for interviews by brushing up on design course material that are taught in the courses most closely pertaining to the specialty they are interviewing for. I also suggest they contact professors they have a good relationship with to ask them to reach out to their contacts in the field, as many professors have connections in the industry and are happy to help their good students attain good jobs.

What Hardware Design Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Arie Nakhmani: Electrical Engineering has always (from its inception) been a good profession to enter, but now it is better than ever. Now everything is becoming Electrical Engineering, and the world cannot survive without it even for a few days. Electrical Engineering is the most necessary profession for the survival of modern society.

What will help Hardware Design Engineers increase their earning potential?

Dr. Arif Engin: Electrical engineers solve problems by skillfully applying mathematics and science. Electrical engineering classes are challenging at college, and electrical engineers must embrace lifelong learning to remain at the top of their skills. In the end, seeing the results of their work in a finished product is a rewarding experience.

What will help Hardware Design Engineers increase their earning potential?

Mahmoud Manzoul: Maximizing salary potential hinges on thorough preparation during college. I cannot stress enough the importance of securing internships before completing your degree. Internships not only facilitate networking with seasoned engineers but also foster the development of essential soft skills crucial for professional success.

What certifications/licenses/courses can have the biggest impact for Hardware Design Engineers?

Philip Horton: Interdisciplinarity is key. Here at ASU, we are focusing on "architecture plus..." An emerging professional who wants to better understand financing and development should consider getting their professionally accredited architecture degree, plus a degree or certificate in real estate development. The same could be said for architecture plus construction management, public health, sustainability, urban planning, and more. We believe this will not only help position an emerging professional for a job, but position them to advance and transform the future of professional practice.

Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Hardware Design Engineers?

Michel Audette Ph.D.: My take on this is what I've seen with my wife's work in industry, which suggests that the industrial landscape is going to be increasingly equipped for, and open to, remote work. I think that the implication for graduates is that they may need to be flexible about working within a geographically distributed team. If company deciders feel that someone is worth employing because of a unique skill set, then they would typically be more willing to hire that person even if unable to make it to work regularly, if that is feasible given the nature of the work; some work, such as hardware testing or industrial production, may not lend itself to remote contributions.

Nonetheless, for those areas that accommodate geographically distributed activity, such as software development, graduates can expect to interact with team members all over the US, possibly all over the world, if someone is deemed unique enough to hire despite living abroad. This places a high premium on the ability and willingness to work in a heterogeneous team, where not only will members look different, but also have myriad accents in their English, which will also impose a certain adaptability and tolerance to team members.

A related impact could also be that global hiring will make it easier for multi-national companies to hire a portion of their talent in countries where wages are lower and motivate US-based engineers to seek out graduate degrees in order to increase their competitiveness and employability at US salaries.

What experience really stands out on Hardware Design Engineer resumes?

Joshua Pearce Ph.D: There has been an ongoing trend of employers wanting to see students' work before interviewing or making a job offer. One of the best ways for graduates to stand out is to have made a significant contribution to an open-source project. Your resume then starts to look more like a portfolio than just a list of positions or skills. This is already mature in the computer and software industries, but now we see it in hardware. For example, in manufacturing industries, employers want to see your CAD work - what open-source designs have you shared on sites like YouMagine and MyMiniFactory?

How do you envision technology impacting Hardware Design Engineers in the next 5 years?

Aaron Ohta Ph.D.: I would argue that EE is a field that drives technology. Big data and artificial intelligence are enabled by electrical engineers, and are already making big impacts. I expect that trend will continue. That may affect the specializations and subtopics that electrical engineers want to pursue.

What Hardware Design Engineer skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?

Dr. Kip Haggerty: In many industries, working competently with both hardware and software is a highly desirable EE skill.
With more remote work, the following soft skills increase in importance:

1. Summarizing complex issues and technology concisely in your own words in writing, speaking, and presentations.


2. Supporting good relations with team members on impersonal electronic communications by using tact, grace, empathy, patience, and self-control.


3. Presenting designs and results emphasizing clear assertions supported by pictorial evidence, rather than a sea of bullet points. Bad presentations are much worse when seen over web conferencing.

What general advice would you give to a Hardware Design Engineer?

Robert Saunders P.E.: The job market for an electrical engineering student coming out of college is challenging right now. Many companies are still hiring electrical engineering students but, the students can't be as finicky about what jobs they are accepting. More than half of the students are starting their new jobs working remotely, which is a large shift from normal but the companies seem to be using this time to bring the new hires up to speed on policy, procedures, and industry regulations.