Okay so here's my situation. 👇
I'm a first-year Electronics & Communication Engineering (ECE) student at a smaller private college in Kerala, India. I have almost FOUR YEARS before I need to pick anything for real, which is a massive advantage! Enough time to either study hard for a big exam or build real skills.
I already know I want to do embedded systems. What I'm curious about is how to spend these four years to get there.
Path 1: GATE -> IIT/NIT
For anyone outside India: GATE is a tough national exam, and IITs/NITs are India's top engineering colleges. The plan is to study hard, pass the exam, get the bigger name on my resume, plus an M.tech degree & strong campus placements. The "safe" path, as people keep reminding me 🤔
Path 2: Skip it, go all-in on building
Spend these years on real embedded projects and maybe a hands-on internship. Enter the job market with a GitHub full of real work instead of an exam score.
Path 3: Try both
Probably not for me. I focus best on one thing at a time. Curious if it's worked for anyone else though.
Questions for embedded folks anywhere, especially those who've been through the Indian system:
- If you picked either path, what did the time before your decision and the years after actually feel like?
- For embedded jobs, does a top college name or campus placements matter, or does a solid GitHub do the same job? (Curious how this differs by country.)
I've got passion for BOTH routes, equally 😎 That's why I am asking for advice here. If you've got even one sentence to share, drop it below. I promise I'll read every single one of them just like I did for my previous "Should I learn C" post (unless I get flooded with comments lol). Thanks @unitbuilds @francistrdev (both always helps me 😊) @fm (Very long & detailed advice. Respect 🫡) @build996 @aniruddhaadak @elanatframework @lucascz @robertpaschal and @nikkhielseath for your advices!
(@technogamerz you only wished me luck. You are the best person to ask this. If you're reading, please give me advice on this one 🥹🙏)
