Is embedded programming closer to electrical engineering or software development?
- by Jeremy Heiler
I am being approached with a job for writing embedded C on micro controllers. At first I would have thought that embedding programming is to low on the software stack for me, but maybe I am thinking about it wrong.
Normally I would have shrugged off an opportunity to write embedded code, as I don't consider myself an electrical engineer. Is this a bad assumption? Am I able to write interesting and useful software for embedded systems, or will I kick myself for dropping too low on the software stack?
I went to school for computer science and really enjoyed writing a compiler, managing concurrent algorithms, designing data structures, and developing frameworks. However, I am currently employed as a Flex developer, which doesn't scream the interesting things I just described. (I currently deal with issues like: "this check box needs to be 4 pixels to the left" and "this date is formatted wrong".)
I appreciate everyone's input. I know I have to make the decision for myself, I just would like some clarification on what it means to be a embedded programmer, and if it fits what I find to be interesting.
