Follow+Star Public Account Number, don’t miss out on exciting contentSource | InternetCompilation | strongerHuangPeople often ask similar questions:Is there still a future in the embedded industry?Will embedded jobs become fewer?Is embedded work just for the young?In fact, every industry has its supporters and detractors.
Those who excel in this field will tell you that the industry is developing well, while those who struggle will tell you how it is not.
Therefore, you need to understand it comprehensively with your own thoughts; not only think but also take action to have the authority to comment on what is good or bad.
I recently came across an interesting case and would like to share it with everyone.
The Story Begins
I (hereinafter referred to as “I”) have been engaged in embedded microcontroller development for nearly 10 years. Over these 10 years, I have had many feelings about this industry, and I still remember the process of developing projects from over a decade ago; every time I look back, it is full of memories.
Every boy has a dream in his heart, hoping to create something fun or even change the world through technology. I entered this field out of interest and because I didn’t know what else to do.
Embedded systems involve a wide range of technologies, knowledge, and applications. Therefore, I dare not easily evaluate how this industry is, nor do I have the qualifications, as 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 feedback I hear is that there is no future, it’s a pit, and you work a lot but earn little.
I used to be like most people, relying on this industry to make a living while also criticizing it as a bad industry. I envied those who worked purely in software, as they always earned 4-5K more than me with the same work experience.
Later, I felt frustrated, with only 30,000 yuan in savings, I quit my job to start a new media business, wanting to completely escape from the annoying microcontroller and the annoying coding.
I saw that people in the new media industry could earn in a few years what a worker would never earn in a lifetime.
However, the reality is that I have not yet succeeded in my comeback and am still struggling to survive. But I think I’m doing quite well; in a new industry, I started making a profit in the first month, and despite facing fixed monthly expenses of 8-9K, I have persisted for 8 months without touching my 30,000 yuan capital.
How much longer I can hold on, I don’t know. Anyway, I set a plan every day and execute it fiercely. If I run out of money, I can always go back to work~
The Starting Point Determines the Ceiling
Why did I choose to start a 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 factors like education, mathematics, and English have led to a bottleneck in my development. To increase my salary, I would have to face one of the following two situations:
🔹 Take on more responsibilities, completely live a 996 life, and ruin my health.
🔹 Pursue further studies and then work in a deeper field, but this is unrealistic for someone who is already approaching 30.
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 average in first-tier cities, and it is possible to live a comfortable life. If you work in ARM + Linux, the salary can be even higher.
A few years ago, a friend who worked in Java graduated with me. At that time, his salary was always 4-5K higher than mine. Just last year, when he went out to find a job, his salary had already leveled with mine, and if I go out to find a job now, my salary might be higher than his.
In my opinion, the more people look down on embedded systems and microcontrollers, the more opportunities there are in this industry.
As IoT and 5G technologies gradually mature, they will inevitably open up gaps in this area.
The Depth of Learning Determines the Height
Many people like to compare embedded systems with pure software, but there is really no comparability. First, the technical systems are different, and second, the depth of learning is different.
Many people tend to exaggerate, saying 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 do require an understanding of hardware, but how much you need to understand depends on what direction of development you are engaged in. If it’s application-level, the hardware you need to learn is very little; you just need to be able to read schematics.Reading schematics is quite simple; entering the chip involves only analog signals, various communication protocols, and digital signals. You don’t need to care about how the hardware implements the functions; otherwise, why would we need hardware engineers? (Except for full-stack experts)These schematics can be explained to you by a hardware engineer in about 30 minutes.Taking microcontroller development, which I am familiar with, most people still do more applications, and the hardware is mostly modular, with a fast development cycle, and the cost is not necessarily much higher than doing it yourself.
To get started with microcontroller development, you only need to know some basic circuits, such as Ohm’s law, diode, and transistor switching principles.
People’s understanding and acceptance of a subject vary at different stages.The direction of embedded microcontroller development is still quite good; it is easy to get started, the threshold is low, and the salary level is not low. Overall, the investment-to-return ratio is very high. In simple terms, 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 the salary level in your work, you will still be struggling for a living in a few years..———— END ————
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