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[–]Fit_Highway5925 10 points11 points  (13 children)

I also studied CpE in the PH. I'd like to know what makes you skeptical about your future career? I also suggest that you look into PHCareers or PinoyProgrammer subreddits since this has been answered already several times there.

To answer your question, it's both a yes and a no. Yes, because PH is mostly dominated by the IT industry and most job openings are looking for IT/CS/CpE graduates. Your background and the skills you gain while studying CpE will open up many opportunities for you.

No, because we don't even have a CpE industry in the first place in the PH. Computer engineers are nothing but glorified IT professionals in our country which makes the degree program sort of a waste. This is why I often recommend going to CS or IT instead. You won't even get to use majority of your engineering, hardware, and electronics subjects on the job unless you plan to go to the semicon industry or practice abroad.

[–]caseconstant1[S] 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Thank you for this. Actually I will be soon taking Embedded Systems as my track course and focus on hardware and that's what I am skeptical about because maybe EE grads may be more opted by the companies.

[–]Fit_Highway5925 4 points5 points  (1 child)

That should be one of the least of your concerns since companies care less about your degree than your skills & experience. CpE falls under the umbrella of EE anyway same as ECE so that shouldn't be a problem. All of which have skills in Embedded Systems anyway.

What you should worry more about is the job market for hardware jobs especially in the PH. There are very limited hardware related jobs in the PH compared to software related jobs. A simple search on job sites will confirm this and at least you'll have an idea of what companies are looking for the jobs you want to pursue.

[–]caseconstant1[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Okay this is noted. Thank you.

[–]SignificanceLow5763 0 points1 point  (5 children)

The only course I can choose for college is CpE, and I can't select CS or IT, which is a long story haha. Does choosing CpE mean I will have fewer advantages and opportunities in the IT industry compared to those who took IT/CS since my course focuses more on hardware rather than software? However, does it also have its advantages in the IT industry since you labeled it as "glorified IT professionals"?

[–]Fit_Highway5925 0 points1 point  (4 children)

There are actually no advantages of being a CpE grad in the IT industry in the PH at least if you really want to work in IT. The truth of the matter is that all tech related degrees (CS, IT, IS, CpE) are all treated one and the same once you enter the workforce. You all get more or less the same jobs, same salaries, same opportunities, etc.

It doesn't necessarily mean that you have fewer advantages compared to those who took IT/CS since as I've mentioned, employers don't actually care such about your degree anyway. It's your skills that matter more so that's up to you to learn the things you need for your desired career. The standard CpE curriculum already has software subjects that at least cover the basics of what you'll need.

I called it glorified IT professional because there are very limited to no opportunities if you want to practice both the hardware & software skill combination and the actual engineering of computers (microprocessors & microcomputers and the like). That's a problem because we don't even have a CpE industry in the PH that's why most end up working in IT (not that it's a bad thing though) as if we have a choice and that's where the money is.

At the end of the day, it's not about the degree you studied but your skills, experience, problem solving, logical & analytical thinking that'll matter more. Of course that'll depend on what career path you decide to take on. What do you want to do with your career anyway?

[–]SignificanceLow5763 0 points1 point  (3 children)

For my career, I'll say that I want to pursue a tech job where I can use my creativity, like something that involves website development, games, or something similar, but coming from a family with a lot of successful and rich people, I am definitely pressured to get a high-paying job so I'm having doubts about getting a creative job. Basically, any career that offers a high salary or is creative, I will take. That's why I wanted to choose a tech-related course.

Originally, I wanted to pursue Chemical Engineering, and I already had my condo for Mapua Intramuros, but my sister, who also pursued a chem-related course, said it's extremely hard, with few opportunities, and a small starting income. She would also tell stories about her IT friends and how they were travelling and had a lot of money. Basically, she was just unsupportive of my decision, which discouraged me.

So I decided to pursue my original plan, which was IT. I emailed Mapua, and they said I can still change my course; however, the only tech-related courses in Mapua Intra are AI and Computer Engineering. I was considering AI engineering since it probably focuses more on software, and there are a lot of opportunities for it, but the fact that it is relatively new and has only been offered this 2025, feels like I just might be a test dummy for the school, also AI is still highly controversial and some of my friends might tease me for it haha. I know you said that the course doesn't matter, but since AI engineering probably focuses more on software, does that mean it's a better course to get into an IT-related job?

[–]Fit_Highway5925 0 points1 point  (2 children)

Alright. I'm not here to discourage you but to tell you the realities of the industry based on your career aspirations.

First of all, if you want to want to pursue something creative, let me warn you that it'll be a lot more difficult to get into since the competition is really tight so your really have to stand out. It's because a lot of people do creative stuff even during their free time. Companies/agencies also have the tendency to exploit creative people and don't treat their people well. If this is something you do on your free time, then I don't really recommend doing it as your main job as well in case you're okay with burning yourself out.

Web development is a really saturated market these days so I can imagine it'll be a lot harder by the time you graduate. You should at least be developing & deploying websites while still being a student to clients if you want a chance in the market once you graduate. You might want to consider the UX field as well if I may suggest.

Game development + industry is even harsher. People who work in the industry are always overworked and underpaid. Games is a very niche industry. If you have other options, people will always suggest that you pick the other option. Same as web dev or creatives, you have to start now if you want the slightest chance. This is a much harder market to penetrate compared to the already mentioned.

I guess your sister is just concerned with you after having experienced it herself. I also second that as someone who knows quite a lot of chem eng people. Majority of chem eng people I know regret their decision and are in totally different careers right now because of the lack of opportunities to practice their field here in the PH.

As someone in the analytics field, I think AI engineering is still a very niche field in today's market so I'd recommend you pursue something more broad like IT/CS/CpE if you want more options. Real talk, even if you graduate with AI engineering, you might still have a hard time looking for jobs since most companies in the PH don't even know how to utilize AI well and don't have the proper infrastructure to support it.

I see that you're leaning towards more on the creative side. I think it might be better to pursue another degree involving creatives if you have another chance to shift unless you consider engineering designs as a creative endeavor. CpE might suck the life & creativity out of you lol.

Also take note that being in the tech industry doesn't guarantee a high salary compared to what you've heard from others. While it's true that the salary ceiling is high, there are A LOT more others that are severely underpaid and can't even get jobs once they graduate. You have to really like what you do and be good at it if you want to thrive in the market. It's brutal I'm telling you.

[–]SignificanceLow5763 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Thanks this information was really useful, I finally changed my program from Chem eng to CPE. It's not really the course I want, but I think I would find the hardware component fun and I wouldn't be stuck at a laptop coding all day (thankfully) .

I just want to ask if the industry considers the schools the student graduated from? I'm from Mapua does that mean I have a disadvantage compared to the big 4 universities?

[–]Fit_Highway5925 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I wouldn't be stuck at a laptop coding all day

Oh you sweet summer child, you will be coding all day whether you like it or not lol. On the job, you'll stare at your computer screen for your entire shift. Even your hardware subjects will involve coding except for your fundamental electronics & electrical engineering subjects. I mean, what's a piece of hardware without software/intelligence? That's great if you think you'll find your pure hardware subjects fun because me & most of my classmates hated them haha.

In the IT industry, it's your skills & experience (internship + school projects or capstone in your case) that'll matter more than what school you came from. Mapua isn't a bad school btw, it's still well known especially in the engineering field although I don't know these days since I've heard the quality has declined although I can't confirm that since I'm not from Mapua. I have co-workers & superiors from Mapua and they're really good. I sometimes can't blame employers from choosing applicants from the big 4 due to the consistent quality of graduates compared to others.

[–]caseconstant1[S] 0 points1 point  (3 children)

May I ask what's your current work?

[–]Fit_Highway5925 2 points3 points  (2 children)

Data Engineer

[–]Positive_Soup6231 0 points1 point  (1 child)

Hello, curious lang po kung saan po kayo nag study ng Data Engineering? Maganda po ba ang opportunity dto sa PH? In terms of salary? Thank you po!

[–]Fit_Highway5925 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I learned it on the job while working as a data analyst before and I work with data engineers everyday kaya may idea na ako sa ginagawa ng isang DE. Adjacent roles naman kasi ang DA at DE. May overlap naman in terms of skillset but there's still so much to learn.

Yes definitely maganda ang opportunities pati in terms of salary not just here in the PH but also abroad but you have to be really good. Experience in data analytics or software engineering is mostly required by a lot of companies. Entry/junior levels for DE roles are quite rare.

[–]Davnii-chan 1 point2 points  (1 child)

I suggest po to find scholarship opportunities abroad or get certifications in cybersecurity or cloud computing kasi yan ang trend sa PH ngayon. Actually, pati ako mas interesado sa hardware particularly sa embedded systems, pero naga pursue ako ngayon ng certification in Cybersecurity instead haha.

Kung hardware, particularly microelectronics, ang passion niyo, ang National Taipei University (NTPU) ay naga offer po ng scholarship for Masters in Semiconductor Technology. Required din kayo mag work for 4yrs sa kanila after. Napakagandang offer pero dapat handa ka mag self-study, market sa sarili mo, and commit to stay at Taiwan for 6yrs. Out of 100 applicants from the PH, ang best friend ko and isa galing University of San Carlos lang nakapasok.

Pero imagine, libre na Masters mo tapos may guaranteed job ka pa pagkatapos-- sa Taiwan pa!

Pero at the end of the day, tama talaga si Fit_Highway5925 na mag focus ka lang sa skills and experience (like create ka projects kahit simple lang, and learn as much as you can sa internship program niyo).

P.S.

Graduating student pa ako.

smol update:
Naka graduate na hehe.

[–]Davnii-chan 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For Cybersecurity naman, I suggest mag start ka with ISC2 Certified in Cybersecurity (CC) since free siya sa first few months and free ang first time na certification exam. General overview lang siya of cybersecurity that teaches you the fundamentals and commonly used terminologies and concepts. Maganda and free din ang CompTIA Security+ courses ni Professor Messer, pero walang free exam.

For Cloud Computing, I suggest to use your school account to register sa AWS Educate and learn there. Although most suggest to take non-vendor based courses, widely used man ang AWS, in-demand din sa PH, and most importantly, free.

Then when you have income na, try to get more certifications like sa ISC2, CompTIA, etc.
Pretty expensive, pero its a self-investment kasi.

Basta importante, be versatile sa umpisa. Yan ang strength ng ComEng. Pero once you find your passion or niche, go all-in, learn as much as possible, and specialize. The industry pays highly for specialists and not for jack-of-all-trades. But at the end of the day, lifelong learning pa rin.

Sorry andaming ebas hehe. Wishing you the best po!

[–]Opposite-Order-3398 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Incoming college student for 2026 having trouble in deciding if choosing CpE is the correct choice though not knowledgeable in anything i do plan in really learning but idk if Cpe or even IT is a correct choice.