The post was co-authored by Petri Lehmus.
Embedded systems are in thousands of products, and skilled embedded engineers are in high demand. We've worked for years for companies that hire embedded engineers and share the top skills that we think are important to be a successful embedded engineer.
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An embedded engineer needs various technical skills. Those include expertise in computer hardware and software and programming languages like C and C++. The engineer also needs certain soft skills, such as being a good communicator and problem-solver.
The term "embedded engineer" often refers to either an "embedded software engineer" or an "embedded systems engineer." Skills required for either job often depend on the product an engineer works on and the modules that are part of that project.
To learn more about the hardware, software, and other technologies that help run embedded systems, see our list of technologies for embedded systems.
An embedded systems engineer understands the entire embedded system. They use this knowledge to integrate the hardware and software in an embedded system. The goal is to ensure the overall system and product work well. With many projects, these engineers also help develop the embedded software.
An embedded software engineer develops software for an embedded system. These engineers have a general idea of the embedded system and its limits. The engineer will ensure the software works with the system.
Embedded systems engineers, however, are intimately familiar with the system’s structure and limitations.
Embedded software engineers and developers need a range of technical skills. They should have a deep understanding of programming languages, device drivers, and real-time operating systems.
Download List of Top Skills for an Embedded Software Engineer in Microsoft Word
An embedded systems engineer should have experience working on both hardware and software. The engineer should also be familiar with the latest processors and other embedded system tools.
In general, embedded systems engineers should have similar technical skills as an embedded software engineers. But they should also have additional skills.
Download List of Top Skills for an Embedded Systems Engineer in Microsoft Word
Embedded engineers also need a range of non-technical or "soft" skills to be successful. Key soft skills include an ability to network and communicate and work well on teams.
Engineers can improve their embedded engineering skills through their work experiences. They can also take classes, read books, and do online research outside of work.
"Engineers should become familiar with hardware and electrical engineering concepts," says Sal Tuccitto, President and Principal Engineer at STT Associates, a Boston-based software development consulting firm. "Maybe also consider taking classes in circuit theory. They should have at least some understanding of basic circuit theory and look at existing embedded code. There are open-source projects that one could look at and even contribute to."
Embedded engineers will need to continue to hone their skills to keep up with evolving embedded trends. They will need to learn new technologies as they develop and continue to embrace vital "soft" skills.
Here are skills that will be especially important in future years:
Embedded systems are a crucial part of many products we use every day. The systems will become even more important, and part of many more products, in the future. There are several embedded frameworks and widgets that help developers streamline the development of embedded applications and GUIs in modern devices.
Qt is a popular choice for developers to create high-performance modern UIs with a single codebase or any platform. Everything developers need for the entire software development life cycle is included within one framework.
Learn more about getting started with Qt. Qt also provides learning resources, including free tutorials, tech talks, and other resources to hone your skills.