Making A Career in Telecoms Hardware Engineering
If you follow a career in telecoms hardware engineering you will be responsible for the specification and design of wireless devices and communications hardware components. Hardware engineers normally use specialised Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools and powerful modeling software to create specifications and designs for new or improved computer and communications components, such as the Intel Pentium III processor or the microprocessor which powers a mobile phone. A career in telecoms hardware engineering normally requires a significant background in electrical or electronics engineering, computer science, or materials engineering and training in the use of CAD equipment to model hardware designs. Therefore, you will need to graduate with a relevant degree.
It is rare nowadays for sufficiently large and/or complex hardware systems that require a telecoms hardware architect not to require substantial software and a telecoms systems architect. The hardware architect will therefore normally interface with a systems architect, rather than directly with user(s), sponsor(s), or other client stakeholders. However, in the absence of a systems architect, the hardware systems architect must be prepared to interface directly with the client stakeholders in order to determine their (evolving) needs to be realised in hardware. The hardware architect may also need to interface directly with a software architect or engineer.
Engineers as a group do not have a reputation for understanding and responding to human needs comfortably or for developing humanly functional and aesthetically pleasing products. Architects are expected to understand human needs and develop humanly functional and aesthetically pleasing products. A good architect is a translator between the user/sponsor and the engineers— and even among just engineers of different specialties. A good architect is also the principal keeper of the user's vision of the end product— and of the process of deriving requirements from and implementing that vision. The hardware architect must remain constantly in communication with the end users (or a systems architect). Therefore, the architect must be familiar with the user's environment and problem.
The development of the first level of telecoms hardware engineering requirements is not a purely analytical exercise and should also involve both the hardware architect and engineer. If any compromises are to be made— to meet constraints like cost, schedule, power, or space, the architect must insure that the final product and overall look and feel do not stray very far from the user's intent. The engineer should focus on developing a design that optimizes the constraints but ensures a workable and reliable product. The architect is primarily concerned with the comfort and usability of the product; the engineer is primarily concerned with the predictability and utility of the product.
This is a specialist role and architects need to know their area well, including the design of sub-systems or layers. These concepts need to be developed with simplicity in mind, not forgetting what the end customer requirements are. As part of their role, they need to carry out a cost benefit analysis, in order to evaluate different solutions. In some cases, commercial off the shelf solutions may be available, which can either be modified at a lower cost, or indeed meet end user needs.
Look through our telecommunication jobs database now to progress your career in telecoms hardware engineering.
Alternatively, have you considered other career paths? Browse through these examples of careers for more ideas: Wireless And Mobile Sales Management, Wireless And Mobile Software Engineering, Telecoms Systems Engineering and Telecommunications Marketing Management.
