Is This the Ultimate Prep Plan for EE School?

[light_bulb]

here is my homework for the next 3 years

math from algebra 2 to calc 1
some extra applied math
discrete math
extra combinations and permutations
extra probability theory

classical physics
quantum mechanics for dummies
semicondutor physics

chem for dummies
general chem 1
organic chem
lab techniques
metallurgy
chem of solids

vb 6
vb.net
c
c++
c#
asm for x86
asm for pic
asm for atmel
asm for 8051
basic sql
data structures and algorithims
os theory
computer arch(cpu level)

autocad

basic electricity
some other stuff not important.

this is prep for school, i have most of the books already and I'm completing 2 books a month. for math I'm using a 3 prong approach (where i go over concepts and problems using 2 books and computer math programs to make sure i get it as well as using applied workbooks to use what I've learned.)

i'm expecting this to give me a solid footing for EE (not necessarily just EE though) . i do have a complete ee bookshelf that would be considered masters level but I'm saving that for school. anything i should change?

 

[berkeman]

Keep it up, light_bulb. One of the best phrases I heard from recruiters when I was in college was from a senior HP lab manager. He said that they were specifically looking for "Goal-oriented acheivers". You appear to be heading down the right path.

BTW, is "The Art of Electronics" in your basic electronics list?

 

[mr_coffee]

hm...

First thing that hits me is, why would you even think about learning vb6? Its a dead language now. Vb.net I can see but then I see you said you are going to be an EE.

So why are you learning a lot of programming languages? high level programming languages at that.

I can see you learning C/C++/asm, but sql and stuff it doesn't make any sense for an EE to learn that.

I'm not saying an EE will not program in his life but I put more of your time into EE related things rather than Comp Sci/Comp Engineering things if you want to be an EE.

Unless you want to do more working with computers/programming rather than hardware design but still asm/C/C++ will fit into that category, but I don't see the point of learning C#/Vb.net nor using a query language such as SQL to prep yourself for college.

Also I don't see any Physics E&M in the list of things you want to prep up for.

You have at one end computer science/software engineering which you will be doing tons of programming/design but on that other then you have EE and in the middle Comp Engineering. But EE out of all the majors I think would do the less amount of coding out of all the majors I listed.EDIT:

I mis-read your bottom of your message I thought u said you wanted to do EE. But still the advice of NOT learning vb6 is a good one, also because your not even in college yet even better advice not to learn it.

I was using vb6 at age 13 (22 now) for about 2 years, what a waste of time! VB6 never gave me the feeling of "coding" it rather was drag and drop and connect objects through code rather than hardcore C++ coding.

 

[light_bulb]

Keep it up, light_bulb. One of the best phrases I heard from recruiters when I was in college was from a senior HP lab manager. He said that they were specifically looking for "Goal-oriented acheivers". You appear to be heading down the right path.

BTW, is "The Art of Electronics" in your basic electronics list?

of course, had that one since 1990.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/ays/103-4925855-0094230&tag=pfamazon01-20

only about 20 or so more books to get and I'm done (for now).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/registry/...s_pop_1/103-4925855-0094230&tag=pfamazon01-20 (whats coming)

i'm saving E&M for school, i need to make sure that i have "real world" :P skills that can pay the bills besides the theory which will be mostly used in rf classes (last).

i already know some vb6, i would just like to finish what i started then move on to .net. maybe my view of what will be needed in the future is somewhat different, kind of a jack of all trades (i know you lose some mastery of subjects when you do that). they already train people for very narrow jobs, i'd like to avoid that.

 

[mr_coffee]

they already train people for very narrow jobs, i'd like to avoid that.

Really? Who's they? A 4 year college doesn't train you for a really narrow job, infact they do just the opposite. If you want to get trained to just be an average programmer making below average wage (in most cases) go to a 2 year technical college. They will teach you JUST what you need to know, but nothing more.

College trains you to adapt to whatever problem is thrown at you and to be a life time learner. So you don't need to learn every language that is out there for example. You should be able to see why a problem would be better solved using language x rather than y and go out and learn it in a few weeks and apply it using your problem solving techniques you learned.

Learning a new language is easy, any 13 year old can do it given enough determination/time. Its just syntax on the other hand developing strong problem solving skills is what is valuable.

 

[Ki Man]

Still in high school, right?

Sounds like that plan is plausable to me just as long as your schoolwork doesn't gobble up all of the rest of your time.

Organic Chem? Maybe that should go on the back burner because i don't see how that would directly relate to EE

 

[light_bulb]

your right, i was 13 when i learned gw-basic. i don't want to be boxed in is all, 'they' isn't a jab at anyone.

(organic chem ah hem) most electives have nothing to do core requirements but you have to take them to get all your credits, think of that as an elective that broadens my horizons :P no I'm not in high school making up for lost time.

rushing through a degree is NOT what i want, being able to apply what I've learned is far more important to me.

 

[FrogPad]

here is my homework for the next 3 years

math from algebra 2 to calc 1
some extra applied math
discrete math
extra combinations and permutations
extra probability theory

classical physics
quantum mechanics for dummies
semicondutor physics

chem for dummies
general chem 1
organic chem
lab techniques
metallurgy
chem of solids

vb 6
vb.net
c
c++
c#
asm for x86
asm for pic
asm for atmel
asm for 8051
basic sql
data structures and algorithims
os theory
computer arch(cpu level)

autocad

basic electricity
some other stuff not important.

this is prep for school, i have most of the books already and I'm completing 2 books a month. for math I'm using a 3 prong approach (where i go over concepts and problems using 2 books and computer math programs to make sure i get it as well as using applied workbooks to use what I've learned.)

i'm expecting this to give me a solid footing for EE (not necessarily just EE though) . i do have a complete ee bookshelf that would be considered masters level but I'm saving that for school. anything i should change?

I would put MATLAB on that list. In fact I would take off vb, sql, and os theory for now.

Matlab was hard for me to get to after knowing C. It might be a little difficult to understand it without linear algebra, but you could get acquainted with it now to check your math answers.

 

[leright]

Still in high school, right?

Sounds like that plan is plausable to me just as long as your schoolwork doesn't gobble up all of the rest of your time.

Organic Chem? Maybe that should go on the back burner because i don't see how that would directly relate to EE

Maybe he's interested in organic electronics?

 

[Ki Man]

Maybe he's interested in organic electronics?

of course. being able to grow all of your circutry needs out of the soil will be essential to colonizing Mars

so you're not in high school, but I'm assuming for now that you aren't in college either?

if you actually do get through everything on that list they might as well hand you your degree right then

 

[leright]

of course. being able to grow all of your circutry needs out of the soil will be essential to colonizing Mars

so you're not in high school, but I'm assuming for now that you aren't in college either?

if you actually do get through everything on that list they might as well hand you your degree right then

Organic electronics (the fabrication of electronic devices out of polymer based materials instead of traditional semiconductors) is a big area of research right now and many expect it to be the future of electronics, especially when it comes to displays.

 

[eGuevara]

here is my homework for the next 3 years

math from algebra 2 to calc 1
some extra applied math
discrete math
extra combinations and permutations
extra probability theory

classical physics
quantum mechanics for dummies
semicondutor physics

chem for dummies
general chem 1
organic chem
lab techniques
metallurgy
chem of solids

vb 6
vb.net
c
c++
c#
asm for x86
asm for pic
asm for atmel
asm for 8051
basic sql
data structures and algorithims
os theory
computer arch(cpu level)

autocad

basic electricity
some other stuff not important.

this is prep for school, i have most of the books already and I'm completing 2 books a month. for math I'm using a 3 prong approach (where i go over concepts and problems using 2 books and computer math programs to make sure i get it as well as using applied workbooks to use what I've learned.)

i'm expecting this to give me a solid footing for EE (not necessarily just EE though) . i do have a complete ee bookshelf that would be considered masters level but I'm saving that for school. anything i should change?

Well, for one I think it's great you want to study some discrete math, should come in handy. With chemistry, I'm not a big fan but it is true that polymer semiconductors are a pretty big deal these days. Quantum Mechanics I think you should study more than that, maybe taking some serious courses with some serious books, that's where chip design is headed after all.

I don't know if you need all those programming languages. If I could relearn how to program (assuming I KNOW how to program ) I'd start with some pretty high level language like python in order to learn the structure of programs instead of language syntax. Then I'd take on the book by abelson, sussman & sussman "Structure and interpretation of computer programs". At this point I'd learn a "standard" language, probably C++, and read a book on data structures. After that, it all goes downhill (in language level, difficulty increases ). My point is, you don't need to know, say, c AND c++ AND c# AND vb AND vb.net, etc. Just focus on a couple of 'em and learn them throughly.

 

[light_bulb]

thanks for the advice, i love hearing other peoples perspectives.