[Freddy-Francis]

Hello guys,

I am currently in year 11 and was thinking of being a computer hardware engineer as i am very interested in the hardware bits. My predicted grades for science and maths are A in GCSE. And for electronics is A too. My weakest is english which is C. What requirements would i need?

[ThePants999]

What does "hardware engineer" mean to you? It could be anything from assembling PCs to designing CPUs, with completely different skill sets. What do you see yourself doing?

[jfinney94]

(Original post by Freddy-Francis)
Hello guys,

I am currently in year 11 and was thinking of being a computer hardware engineer as i am very interested in the hardware bits. My predicted grades for science and maths are A in GCSE. And for electronics is A too. My weakest is english which is C. What requirements would i need?

Do some research, search uni courses, college courses, and all that good stuff. Don't worry if you don't have the best grades, theres a million ways to break into IT. Consider an apprenticeship, now is a good time to contact employers while you're still in education.

[tooosh]

(Original post by Freddy-Francis)
Hello guys,

I am currently in year 11 and was thinking of being a computer hardware engineer as i am very interested in the hardware bits. My predicted grades for science and maths are A in GCSE. And for electronics is A too. My weakest is english which is C. What requirements would i need?

The way I would do it is take Maths, Further Maths, Physics and something else at A-level and take Computer Systems Engineering at uni but as has been said, there are quite a few paths you can take.

[Reue]

(Original post by tooosh)
The way I would do it is take Maths, Further Maths, Physics and something else at A-level and take Computer Systems Engineering at uni but as has been said, there are quite a few paths you can take.

I wouldnt bother with Uni to be a hardware engineer. Firms are far more interested in experience then degrees for most desktop support type roles.

Look for a part time job in a local computer repair shop, or keep an eye out for 1st line helpdesk roles. These will frequently lead on to 2nd line (hardware support).

[tooosh]

(Original post by Reue)
I wouldnt bother with Uni to be a hardware engineer. Firms are far more interested in experience then degrees for most desktop support type roles.

Look for a part time job in a local computer repair shop, or keep an eye out for 1st line helpdesk roles. These will frequently lead on to 2nd line (hardware support).

What does hardware engineer actually mean though? If it's the actual engineering of some kind of computer hardware then he will need uni or an apprenticeship.

[PrinceyJ]

(Original post by Reue)
I wouldnt bother with Uni to be a hardware engineer. Firms are far more interested in experience then degrees for most desktop support type roles.

Look for a part time job in a local computer repair shop, or keep an eye out for 1st line helpdesk roles. These will frequently lead on to 2nd line (hardware support).

I think the job your describing would a be repair technician or computer assembler.

To me a Hardware Engineer is someone who designs and builds motherboards etc.

[Freddy-Francis]

ok. Thanks for that. I mean hardware enginner as like fixing harware of a computer. Like graphics card and stuff

[tooosh]

(Original post by Freddy-Francis)
ok. Thanks for that. I mean hardware enginner as like fixing harware of a computer. Like graphics card and stuff

There is almost no money in that as competition is extremely high. If you go a bit more specialised like fixing server hardware, then you should do some kind of apprenticeship and gain vocational qualifications.

[Freddy-Francis]

I am confused about my future job. Career i mean.

[tsnake23]

(Original post by Freddy-Francis)
I am confused about my future job. Career i mean.

As said above being someone that builds or repairs a PC in a shop or as a IT technician is a fairly low end job, not something that you'd need many qualifications for. Its the type of job you can get by leaving school after GCSE/A levels.

If your interested in getting a higher-end job in other areas of computing such as programming or computer systems engineering (i.e. designing complex computer components or firmware) then you should consider a university degree like computer science or an electronic engineering based one. The subjects at A level you want to take for this career path are maths and physics.

EDIT: But yeah you need to do some research!

[n65uk]

(Original post by Freddy-Francis)
I am confused about my future job. Career i mean.

Is it only hardware support you enjoy? What about providing software support?

I will agree that the market for hardware support is very bad - everyone is doing it, so you have lots of competitions.

Maybe your best bet is to put an advert in a few local shops and newspapers, see what response you get back. See if you like doing it, like handling customers, like the hours and the pay. It will also help to give you an idea if there is a market for it in your current area.

[Freddy-Francis]

I have decided to leave software based stuff...
I am taking all 3 sciences and matths for A levels/