For those considering
working or already working in the electronics industry, choosing a career path to take is an important decision.
In addition to following your passions and interests, it is critical to know
how many job opportunities exist. It
would be wise to consider potential income as part of your considerations
before deciding on a career. The electronics industry is an immense
industry with numerous sub-industries and exciting opportunities. The
semiconductor industry within
the electronic industry is a big business. It alone was a US $300 billion plus
industry in 2012. The long-term trend of electronics is bright and promising.
With increasing use of electronic devices in consumer, commercial, and industrial
products and systems, the electronics industry is always growing. Knowing the
electronics market size and divisions will give you a good understanding of the
electronics industry facets and the skills you will need to meet current job
responsibilities and to prepare for future jobs. Additionally, understanding
the market landscape will also help you decide what area of electronics you
should or should not go into. Ideally,
you would want to work in a field that is growing or, at least, is not
predicted to become obsolete within your lifetime. The best scenario is meeting the demand of that
area that has the shortest labor supply.
In addition to the
financial benefits, the technical perspective gives those working in electronics
pride and satisfaction. An interesting
Intel TV commercial titled “Rock Stock” exemplifies this perspective. As a much respected Intel scientist/inventor/engineer
walks into a room full of Intel employees, everyone in the room cheers as if he
were a rock star walking out on the stage.
Highly capable engineers and technicians are not nearly as glamorous as
the TV commercial portrayed, but the satisfaction level and recognition cannot be underestimated.
It is certainly no small task to dissect such a gigantic
industry into segments. Although hardware
and software now work together in a large number of electronic systems and
products, electronics traditionally relates to hardware. From a top to bottom
approach, the electronics industry business model originates from three main
sources: consumer, business/commercial, and government. Each main source branches out to a vast
range of electronics products and services.
The depth of the electronics market’s segments are widespread, continuing to expand from computing hardware,
storage system, networking equipment, manufacturing equipment, mobile devices,
household appliances, transportation, aerospace, enterprise network systems,
public and private Information Technology (IT) network infrastructure,
telecommunications, and much more.
Evidently, multitudes of electronics professionals are needed just to
keep pace with the increasing demands of electronic
products and services now and into the future.