The Personal Computer:

While large computers were used in various situations since the 1940s, such as the ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer), and the Colossus, which was used to break codes during World War II in Bletchley Park in the UK – it was the development of the “personal” computer or PC in the late 1970s put computing into the hands of average people, changing everyday tasks from writing to invoicing to tax preparation to graphic design and photo editing. It is estimated that there are over 2 billion computers in the world now.

By definition the PC was in a price range and small enough to make it useful for personal use. There were three PCs introduced in 1977 including the Commodore PET, the Apple II, and the TRS-80 from Tandy Corporation Together, these were referred to as the “1977 trinity”. Development and improvements in personal computing have continued ever since!

In terms of software and operating systems, since the early 1990s, Microsoft operating systems and Intel hardware has dominated the market. But alternatives to Microsoft operating systems occupy a share of the industry, including Apple’s macOS and free and open-source Unix-like operating systems, such as Linux. Because it is open source, Linux provider users with the ability to customize how their computer works and what applications it can complete.

Find out more:

• Computing History Timeline (IEEE Computer Society)
• Personal Computer (Wikipedia)
• Computer History Museum
• ENIAC

Computer engineers work in most industries – any which incorporate technology into products or systems. The ongoing increase in the number of devices with computer chips embedded in them, such as household appliances, medical devices, and automobiles. They also work on new applications of computers, such as advances in digital television and photography, virtual meeting technology, intelligent highways, control systems, and new technologies for cars, phones, security systems, telescopes, airplanes, and space vehicles.  And, of course employment is a global possibility for computer engineers!

Computer engineers can find employment working on embedded systems, new advances in integrated circuitry, signal processing, and information protection. The following is just a sample of some companies, in addition to government agencies, which employ computer engineers:

• AMS
• Amazon
• Apple
• Cisco
• Dell
• Facebook
• Google
• Intel
• Johnson & Johnson
• Lockheed Martin
• Microsoft
• Motorola
• SpaceX
• Texas Instruments
• Toshiba
• UPS
• Verizon
• Westinghouse

For most engineering careers:

• a bachelor’s degree is required
• a master’s degree may be recommended for those specializing or interested in management

  

• students may also start with a related associate degree and then move on to a bachelor’s when they have settled on a degree path.
• many students are required to participate in a co-op program while at university to gain real world experience in their chosen field.
• education doesn’t really stop…engineers need to stay current as technology changes and materials and processes improve over time.
• many professional societies offer certificates and coursework to support continuing education for their members.

At the undergraduate level, examples of courses include circuit analysis, logic design, digital systems design, computer architecture, mathematical foundations of computing, and probability and random processes.

It is important to select an engineering degree that has been accredited to meet basic standards.  Find out more and browse TryEngineering’s global database of accredited engineering and computing programs.