The software engineering people are interfering with the comp. eng. curriculum and have removed the teaching of C.

Luckily I was in a different stream when I entered so I got those classes (not that I hadn’t already already taught myself)

These platforms would enable compiler optimization study, boot loader work, and some real-world type assignments. The Univ of Wyoming took my original paper and actually turned it into a degree program. But, I wish they’d included a bit more 32-bit processor work. I think that the Cortex M3 is cost competitive with the 8051 now days. So, although I still believe that you need to learn the 8-bit gear, I believe that most of the emphasis is starting to shift to 32 & 64-bit.

As for a syllabus, I’d have to give it some thought. As for partnering with a university, I’d love to. But, the impression that I get from the universities is that embedded development has been reduced to practice so they’re not interested. But, perhaps a college who is not so interested in research grant money and more interested in ensuring their graduates are employable would be a better candidate.

If you designed an advanced embedded controller course(s); what you be in the syllabus? What lab equipment would you select? Maybe there is a business opportunity for a company to partner with a university and design an on-line course that would address real world issues.

Graduates I’ve seen in the last couple of years are smart enough. They grasp what’s asked but then they completely skre it up because they have not learned to work structured.
The work they deliver looks like a big garbage can.
What they learned is working with tools. They did not learn to work in structures and to think before to do something.
The ones who learn fast to view the picture behind the tools and build structure (hierarchy) in their work will find their way fast.

I doubt it. Some brains get it and some don’t. That’s why I favour a Fred Brooks approach. Universities should teach according to the abilities of the student. Usually that does not happen. University is more like a cattle drive. Still ….. the great ones will find their way.

Maybe we need more specific degrees. Universities can probably get more “bang for the buck” by offering more general degrees that will at least help someone get their foot in the door, and let them specialized “on the job.”

Reports by universities are self-serving. They’re selling education, and should be read with an understanding that they have an agenda, much like any business promoting the results of their research. It’s not the best source for determining what professions will be in the most demand.

And no, colleges and universities are not preparing students for embedded systems work. Of the universities I’ve talked with, the response has been that embedded systems have been “reduced to practice” and, therefore, were no longer of any interest. Essentially, if there’s no research money in it, they’re not interested.

So, it means that as someone who would look to hire embedded systems developers, our best bet is likely a computer engineering graduate. More concrete than the Java-enamored CS people and more software-oriented than the EEs. However, even with that caveat, plan on spending months to years to retrain them in the skills a good embedded developer needs, while undoing the damage that the “everything is a virtual machine with infinite memory and CPU horsepower” mindset causes.