Career in Communications Systems Communications systems
apply the principles of circuit analysis. A communication system is designed
to convey information from a source (the transmitter) to a destination
(the receiver) via a channel (the propagation medium). Communications
engineers design systems for transmitting and receiving information. The
information can be in the form of voice, data, or video. We live in the information age-news, weather, sports, shopping, financial,
business inventory, and other sources make information available to us
almost instantly via communications systems. Some obvious examples of
communications systems are the telephone network, mobile cellular telephones,
radio, cable TV, satellite TV, fax, and radar. Mobile radio, used by police
and fire departments, aircraft, and various businesses is another example.
The field of communications is perhaps the fastest growing area in electrical
engineering. The merging of the communications field with computer technology
in recent years has led to digital data communications networks such as
local area networks, metropolitan area networks, and broadband integrated
services digital networks. For example, the Internet (the "information
superhighway") allows educators, business people, and others to send electronic
mail from their computersworldwide, log onto remote databases, and transfer
files. The Internet has hit the world like a tidal wave and is drastically
changing the way people do business, communicate, and get information.
This trend will continue. A communications systems engineer designs systems that provide high-quality
information services. The systems include hardware for generating, transmitting,
and receiving information signals. Communications engineers are employed
in numerous communications industries and places where communications
systems are routinely used. More and more government agencies, academic
departments, and businesses are demanding faster and more accurate transmission
of information. To meet these needs, communications engineers are in high
demand. Therefore, the future is in communications and every electrical
engineer must prepare accordingly. |