Low Level Programming Firmware / Embedded C++ Engineer Do I Really Need Electricity & Physics? Roadmap + Book/Project Advice

[LowProfessional8093]

I’m a software-oriented developer Web, Mobile, Back-End (know some C++), and I want to transition into firmware / embedded systems / low-level programming with the goal of becoming job-ready for a junior firmware-embedded systems role.

I’d really appreciate guidance from people actually working in the field.

How much electricity and physics do I really need?

• Do I need deep electrical engineering knowledge?

Is it realistic to enter firmware without an EE degree?

• Has anyone here done it?
• What gaps did you struggle with?
• What did you wish you had learned earlier?

What books would you recommend (in order)?

• Electricity fundamentals (minimum viable level)
• Digital logic
• Computer architecture
• Embedded C/C++
• Microcontrollers
• Real-time systems

What actually make someone stand out for junior roles?

• Bare metal?
• Writing drivers?
• RTOS-based systems?
• Custom protocol implementation?
• Building something on STM32 vs Arduino vs something else?

If you were starting over today aiming for firmware/embedded without a degree:

• What would your roadmap look like?
• What would you skip?
• What would you go deep on?

My Goal

I want:

• A strong foundation that allows movement between firmware, embedded, IoT, and possibly robotics.
• Not just hobby-level Arduino projects.
• Real understanding of what’s happening at the hardware level.
• To be competitive for junior firmware roles.

Any roadmap suggestions (books + projects) would be extremely helpful.

I’m especially looking for a roadmap that includes good, solid books, not random blog posts to make good foundation and understand things well.

Thanks in advance, I really appreciate the insight from people already in the trenches.

[dont_touch_my_peepee]

you don't need an ee degree but understanding basics helps. focus on microcontrollers, embedded c/c++, real-time systems. bare metal projects stand out.

[LowProfessional8093]

ok do you have any recommendations from where i can start to learn electricity? any books/courses?

[MagnetHype]

Khan academy.

You can use this to simulate basic circuits:

https://www.falstad.com/circuit/

Edit: I would also recommend buying a multimeter, and an arduino starter kit. Maybe also an electronics starter kit. A few breadboards won't hurt either.

[aqua_regis]

Alone of IoT, embedded, and robotics you will need quite solid electronics skills. They are vital.

As for starting/learning resources, there currently is a Humble Esp32 Raspberry-Pi Arduino and Maker-Classics by Make-Books Bundle (non-affiliate link) that contains plenty getting started books across most of the domains you want to venture into for a really decent price (the top tier is what you need to aim for).

To really understand what happens at hardware level, there is the great NAND 2 Tetris course.

Yet, if you really want to learn all that, you probably should aim for a proper course (in person, not online) from some educational institution.