How to Build a Successful Career in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering?

Imagine your life without a mobile phone, without the internet, and therefore without Facebook, Youtube, and Instagram! You can’t think of it, right? What runs mobile phones and the internet? What are the equipment, devices, and systems? The optical cables, routers, modems, switches, antenna, wires, etc. right? And of course personal devices such as mobile phones, laptops, and other communication devices. All these are the handiwork of Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers. Are you interested?

Electronics & Telecommunication engineer is a specialist who designs, develops, tests installs produces, and maintains various electronic and telecommunication equipment, processes, devices, and systems. Electronics and Telecommunication engineers work in the research, designing, development, testing, and maintenance of telecommunication devices and their components. Electronics & telecommunication engineer thus develops integrated circuit components for telecommunication system and equipment.

Why become an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer?

Electronics and Telecommunications Engineer is a specialist who creates communication systems, equipment, and process to transmit information across channels like mobile, co-axial cables, optical fibers, telephones, transmitters, etc. Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers study and apply various principles related to the designing of telecommunication equipment. 

As a telecommunication engineer, you will conceptualize, design, test, and oversee the manufacturing of communication and broadcast systems including prototypes, integrated circuits, semiconductor devices, signals, analog circuits, etc. You might work for commercial, industrial, military, medical, or scientific companies. 

While some of you will be working in the manufacturing sector where the focus will be to manage the production of a telecommunication system, managing quality control, and testing products before rolling them to the market. Some of you will work in the research sector, where you will work to develop new systems and improve the existing systems. 

What does an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer do?

As an Electronics & Telecommunication Engineer, depending on your field of specialization, you would have the following roles and responsibilities: 

• You need to keep pace with the industrial practices and emerging telecommunication technology by following the current trend, talking with colleagues, participating in learning programs and workshops, or participating in conferences.
• You will consult all stakeholders including customers, users, admins, and engineers to determine the technical and business requirement for any proposed telecommunication system. 
• You will determine the cost of the project, materials, and equipment. 
• You will prepare sketches and designs for the construction, relocation, and installation of equipment, facilities, products, or systems. 
• You will prepare documentation containing all confidential descriptions and specifications of hardware and software, product development, schedules, production costs, and information about product performances. 
• You will evaluate project work to ensure effectiveness, technical requirement, compatibility, etc.
• You will analyze telecommunication systems requirements, capacity, cost, or customer needs to determine project feasibility.
• You will design and manufacture telecommunication components, software, products, etc for commercial, medical, military, or scientific applications. 
• You will understand the need of customers and determine the total requirements, capacity the cost of developing a telecommunication system. 
• You will be required to maintain testing procedures for new telecommunication components and equipment. 
• You will evaluate a system and recommend any changes in the design or working condition. 
• You will do necessary tests to ensure safety standards are met for equipment.

How to become an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer – Eligibility criteria 

To become an Electronics & Telecommunication Engineer, you can do a Bachelor’s degree in any one of the following fields or in a related field:

• Communication Engineering
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Electronics & Communication Engineering
• Electronics Engineering
• Telecommunication Engineering

Thereafter you may opt to do a Master’s degree in any one of the following fields or in a related field:

• Communication Engineering
• Digital Electronics
• Electrical and Electronics Engineering
• Electrical Signal Processing & Systems
• Electronics & Communication Engineering
• Electronics Engineering
• Embedded Systems and VLSI Design
• Microelectronics
• Microwave Engineering & Technologies
• Optoelectronics
• Telecommunication Engineering

Educational Fees

The educational fees for becoming an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer in India can vary depending on the institute and type of course.

In general, the fees for a four-year Bachelor’s degree program in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering can range from around INR 1-2 lakhs per year for government institutes to INR 2-5 lakhs per year for private institutes.

For a two-year Master’s degree program in Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering, the fees can range from around INR 50,000-1 lakh per year for government institutes to INR 1-2 lakhs per year for private institutes.

It’s important to note that these fees are approximate and can vary depending on the institute and location. Additionally, there may be additional costs such as hostel fees, exam fees, and other miscellaneous expenses.

Job Opportunities

• If you are into the design side of the engineering career, then you may join as a design engineer/ Design engineer trainee. 
• If you are into production, then you may join as a production engineer trainee. 
• If you are into teaching, then you may join a college or university with the profile of an assistant professor. 
• If you are into research, then you can join a research institute in the role of research associate. Some of you will join as research engineers. 
• If you are into scientific research, then you can join as a Scientist with a Grade of “C”. 

Different types of companies can offer you a job. Such as:

• Government defense departments like DRDO in India.
• Space departments like ISRO
• Institutes of scientific learning like IISc, IIA, RRI, TIFR, etc. 
• Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering department of all IITs and Engineering colleges.
• Leading telecommunication equipment manufacturing companies Apple, Samsung, Motorola, Binatone, etc.
• Leading telecommunication servicing providing companies like Airtel, Vodafone, Jio, and BSNL.

Salary of an Electronics and Telecommunication Engineer

• At the entry-level, as a Scientist (grade C) you would be earning around Rs. 80,000 to 100,000 per month. As an assistant professor, you would be earning anything between Rs. 65,000 to 70,000 per month. As a production engineer, design engineer, etc., you would be earning anything between Rs. 25,000 to 2,00,000 per month.
• At the junior level with a work experience of 2-6 years, you would be earning anything between Rs. 50,000 to 2,50,000 per month. 
• At the middle level with an experience of 10-12 years, you would be earning anything between Rs. 1,40,000 to 1,90,000 per month as a scientist and Rs. 1,20,000 to 1,60,000 as a professor and as a production engineer, design engineer, etc. Rs. 1,00,000 to 4,00,000 per month. 
• At the senior level of over 15 years of work experience, you would be earning anything between Rs. 1,60,000 to 2,00,000 per month as a professor and Rs. 2,10,000 to 2,50,000 per month as a Scientist. As a production engineer, design engineer, etc., you would be earning anything between Rs. 1,20,000 to 10,00,000 per month.

Career Progression of this Profession 

• If you are into the design side of the engineering career and joined as a design engineer/ Design engineer trainee and then become a design engineer. Soon, you would either become a design engineering manager or design manager, or project manager. 
• If you are into production and joined as a production engineer trainee. Soon, you would become a production engineer. You may be then promoted to production manager (Manufacturing) and then plant manager (manufacturing). 
• My career growth in university and college states from Assistant Professor and then Associate Professor, Professor, and Professor Emeritus. Professors can also get administrative positions such as Director/Dean/Vice Chancellor, etc 
• Research laboratories will hire you as a scientist/scientist officer with the lowest grade and the grade changes from low to high. In India, grades are “Scientist “C” as the joining level and then D, E, F, G, H, etc. A senior-level scientist can also get into administrative positions like Principal Scientist, Assistant Director, Deputy Director, Director, etc

What do industry trends say – Future Prospects

India is the 3rd largest telecommunication market in the world after China with over 1.2 billion telephone subscribers. The telecommunication market is divided into wireline, wireless, and internet services. Over 98.2% of the subscriber base comes from the wireless sector. In 2018, the wireless subscriber base increased by 19.61%. However, with its reaching a peak, it might start slowing down in the coming years. But there is still growth for hardware manufacturers. As recently Samsung established one of the biggest manufacturing plants in Noida. Similarly, Apple is also shifting its manufacturing base to India. Internet services are expected to grow at a similar pace in the future. Presently over 600 million people are connected to the internet. Although these numbers indicate that there should be a large number of opportunities for Electronics and Telecommunication Engineers because of various reasons, the telecommunication industry has been slowing down in India over the last few years. However, if electronics manufacturing shifts part of its base from China to India, then the industry may see a bright prospect.

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