Get Your Degree In Science And Move Into Technology!

The computer manufacturing industry was hit by the recent recession. On the plus side, industry projections say it's going to be one of the first to recover, maybe during the second quarter of 2010. The reason for this is the industry's ability to reinvent itself through new technology, such as the recent eReaders and iPads. That's why, of all the STEM degree (science, technology, engineering, math) professions, becoming a computer hardware engineer is still an exceptionally solid choice.

Computer hardware engineers, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, research, design and oversee the manufacture and installation of computer hardware. This would also consist of computer boards, chips, and systems, in addition to routers, printers, keyboards and other related peripherals.

While some might compare hardware engineers to electronics engineers, the big difference is the former work only on computers and related machines. This kind of specialization shouldn't hurt the hardware engineer in the long run considering how computers can now be found from the lowest economic levels to the ivory towers of Wall Street and beyond.

Thanks to the recession, growth in the field will be slow, approximately 4% between 2008 and 2018. Also domestic manufacture of hardware, for the longest time dominated by the U.S., is expected to be hit by intense foreign competition. Manufacturers will contract out more. So much of the employment action is going to go to computer-related services industries and design firms.

Before contemplating a move into this arena, one should have a bend for mechanical, electronic and computer science problem solving. A Bachelor's with mechanical and electronic engineering courses with computer science is a solid path. As the field is constantly reinventing itself, a professional usually sets up an account with an online college even after their Bachelor's. Getting a Master's or PhD is good if one wants to get into the more sophisticated, and better paying, jobs.

The median salary is just under $100,000. Entry level, depending on experience, usually starts at slightly over $61,000. The upper ten percent % of hardware engineers exceed $150,000. Jobs come with attractive perks, among them life/health insurance, profit sharing, continued education aid for online colleges and retirement and other investment programs.

As hardware engineering is a STEM profession there are more than Pell and state grants for those who want to pursue this form of education. The National Science Foundation has S-STEM grants. There are also ACG and SMART scholarships for those who show both exceptional grades and need. A number of professional and private institutions -

including Intel, Xerox and Hewlett Packard - offer aid for anyone from the promising high school student to the seasoned PhD candidate. A good source for more information is to just go to Google and search "Computer Engineering Financial Aid" or simply consult with a school's financial aid officer.

So while the hardware engineering field is going through its fair share of change at the moment, those with a STEM degree are literally in the right place at right time for regrowth. This comes primarily from the field's nature for constant innovation. With a degree in science, the future is as bright as the smart phone in your hand.

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