The Advantages of Embedded Systems

Recently, people often ask me whether there is still a future in the embedded industry. Will embedded jobs become fewer? Is embedded work just a youth-based career? In fact, in every industry, there will be both supportive and opposing voices.

Those who do well in this field will tell you that the industry is developing well, while those who do poorly will tell you how bad the industry is.

Therefore, you need to understand the situation comprehensively with your own thoughts; not only think but also take action, so that you can have the authority to comment on what is good and what is bad. Recently, I came across an inspiring story that I want to share with everyone.

I have been engaged in microcontroller development in the embedded field for nearly 10 years. Over these 10 years, I have many feelings about this industry, and I still remember the development process of making a balancing car from 10 years ago; every time I look back, it’s full of memories.

Every boy has a dream in his heart, hoping to create something fun through technology or even change the world. Initially, I entered this industry out of interest and because I didn’t know what else to do.

Embedded systems involve a wide range of technologies, knowledge, and applications. So, I dare not easily evaluate how this industry is, nor do I have the qualifications, after all, my understanding of embedded systems is just the tip of the iceberg.

Let me share what I know about microcontrollers. When it comes to microcontrollers, the most common voices I hear are that there is no future, it’s a pit, and you work a lot but earn little.

Once, I was like most people, relying on this industry to make a living while cursing it as trash. I envied those who worked purely in software; under the same seniority and experience, their salaries were always 4-5K more than mine.

Later, I felt frustrated. With only 30,000 yuan in savings, I quit my job to start a new media venture, wanting to completely escape from the disgusting microcontroller and the annoying code work.

Because I saw people in the new media industry making money in just a few years that a worker might never earn in a lifetime.

However, the reality is that I have not succeeded yet and am still struggling to survive. But I think I am doing quite well; in a strange industry, I started making a profit in the first month, and despite facing fixed monthly expenses of 8-9K, I have persevered for 8 months, and my 30,000 yuan capital has not been touched.

How much longer I can last, I don’t know. I just set a plan every day and execute it fiercely. If I run out of money, I can always go back to work~

Why did I choose to start my own business? It’s not because of low wages, nor is it because this industry has no future. If I worked for someone else, my life would be much more comfortable than it is now.

It’s because of factors like education, mathematics, and English that have led to a bottleneck in my development. For my salary to increase further, it would mean one of two situations:

Rather than that, it’s better to combine some new fields + my strengths to explore breakthrough opportunities at the lowest cost.

The salary for microcontroller development can be considered at a medium level in first-tier cities, and it is possible to live a comfortable life. If you work in the ARM + Linux direction, the salary is even higher.

A few years ago, a friend who graduated with me in Java always earned 4-5K more than I did every month. Just last year, when he went out to look for a job, his salary had already caught up with mine. If I were to look for a job now, my salary might be higher than his.

In my view, the more people look down on embedded systems and microcontrollers, the more opportunities there are in this industry.

With the gradual maturity of IoT and 5G technologies, it will inevitably open up a gap in this area.

Many people like to compare embedded systems with pure software, but there is no comparison at all. First, the technical systems are different, and second, the depth of learning is different.

Many people tend to exaggerate, saying that you have to learn both hardware and programming, the salary is low, and it’s better to do pure software.

It cannot be denied that embedded systems indeed require knowledge of hardware, but how much you need to understand depends on the direction of your development. If it’s in the application layer, you need very little hardware knowledge; just being able to read circuit diagrams is enough.

How simple is it to understand? Entering the chip is just about analog signals, various communication protocols, and digital signals. You don’t need to care about how the hardware implements the functions; otherwise, what do hardware engineers do? (Except for full-stack experts)

These circuit diagrams can be explained to you by a hardware engineer in about 30 minutes.

Taking microcontroller development, most people mainly focus on applications. The hardware is modular, the development cycle is fast, and the cost is not necessarily much higher than doing it yourself.

To get started with microcontroller development, you only need to know some common circuit basics, such as Ohm’s law, diodes, and transistor switch principles.

People have different levels of understanding and acceptance of something at different stages.

The microcontroller development direction is still quite good; it’s easy to get started, the threshold is low, and the salary level is not low. Overall, the investment-to-return ratio is very high; simply put, the learning cycle is short, the results are quick, and the return rate is high.

Finally, I advise everyone with tears: if you only look at salary, you will still be struggling for a living in a few years.

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