Recently, a friend messaged me saying they enrolled in an embedded training course, spending over twenty thousand, and regretted it immensely after finishing.
Why? — The course was too superficial, only covering the basics of development boards, making it feel like they learned almost nothing.
In fact, this situation is quite common. Some people complain that the institutions are unreliable, while others struggle to keep up with the pace. So the question arises:Is embedded training really useful? Can you find a job after completing a training course?
01The usefulness of training depends on whether it can solve two problems
1. Addressing the needs of students
Some students learn embedded systems out of interest, some for competitions (like electronics contests), but most are ultimately aiming tofind a good job.
Therefore, the value of a training course is to help students transition from zero knowledge to being able to independently develop products.
2. Addressing the needs of companies
What kind of people do companies want? Different companies have different requirements:
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Large companies (Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, Xiaomi…)
First, they require a degree, starting from a bachelor’s. Unless you have exceptional technical skills, it’s hard to get in without the right qualifications.
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Small and medium enterprises
Focus more on individual capabilities; the key is whether you can directly handle projects.
No matter the size of the company, there is one commonality:you need real project experience.
So the fundamental purpose of attending training is to acquire the ability to “develop products”.
02What is the true value of training courses?
Many institutions like to promote “job placement guarantees,” but the quality of employment varies widely. If you end up serving tea and writing test scripts, that also counts as “employment,” but it clearly does not meet expectations.
Effective training must be project-driven, allowing you to accumulate experience through simulated real development:
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In hardware: circuit board design must meet product casing, cost, and power consumption requirements;
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In software: it’s not just about functionality; there must be a clear program architecture that supports future maintenance and feature expansion.
For example:
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A wireless door magnet detector seems simple, but there are pitfalls in hardware and power design everywhere;
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An IoT gateway has few hardware components, but the software engineering can easily exceed fifty or sixty thousand lines of code.
Only after being “tested” by these projects will you truly possess development capabilities. Otherwise, if you only play with development boards, when it comes time to independently handle a project, you’ll still be confused.
03Can you find a job after completing an embedded training course?
The answer is:It depends on what you have learned.
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If you just follow the course process and write a few examples, it will definitely be difficult to find a job;
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If you gain complete project experience through training and can independently solve problems, then employment is absolutely not an issue, and you may even be more competitive than some fresh graduates with a bachelor’s degree.
Therefore, the focus is not on “whether to enroll in a course,” but on “what kind of course to enroll in.”
Finally, here are a few suggestions for everyone
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Don’t be fooled by “job placement guarantees”; focus on the course content and practical projects.
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Inquire about student feedback; see if past students can really create projects.
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Choose project-driven teaching; don’t just stay at the level of assembling modules and running examples.
Learning embedded systems relies on accumulating project experience, not just attending a few theoretical classes.
If you are also struggling with “whether to enroll in a course” or “which training institutions are worth considering,” please long-press the QR code below to add me on WeChat, and I will send you the guide I have compiled on avoiding pitfalls in institutions and learning paths, helping you avoid detours. You can also consult me one-on-one for other questions.
