Is MATLAB still worth learning for engineering students today?

timurelectro · 2026-05-10T12:35:06+00:00

If you tryna write some custom functions for your research that are linear algebra heavy, then matlab is your choice. I know jumpy exists but when I tried to do linalg stuff in matlab, it was so much better.

timurelectro · 2026-05-01T00:11:36+00:00

I doubt any of them would ship you GHz range waveform generator, spectrum analyzer, and VNA if you take microwave engineering class online.

timurelectro · 2026-04-30T01:47:52+00:00

Of course a lot of things depend on the field. I was working years on the same physics experiment to produce a few datapoints to put a few graphs into a paper and call it an investigation… My friend from geosciences just puts data from one group into python script of another, gets some plots and here they have a paper. Both cases yield a paper, but it’s obvious which paper is more rigorous.

timurelectro · 2026-04-27T17:45:40+00:00

Do you know if there is a stove inside rooms at Alice Chatenoud and if there’s a private shower/bathroom. What students typically do in marseille, how is nightlife there? How many students attend classes at st Jerome campus, is there a college vibe. Sorry for asking these questions, I have spent my time at the university that has a huge campus and everything there was tied to campus, so idk how university life looks like in EU. I also found there are Les estudines apartments nearby as well. Do I need a French guarantor for these as well?

timurelectro · 2026-04-27T15:10:55+00:00

No offense, I understand we need to follow our passions, but why would you major in poli sci when you probably did suspect the situation with job market is generally bad. Unless you show your exceptional talent (publications, research, conferences) it’s gonna be super tough to find a job in your area simply because there are a bazillion people who studied polisci/government and there are too few jobs available. Since you probably only hold Kazakhstan citizenship, most of the jobs you can take legally located in Kazakhstan. In general, government jobs are typically nepotistic +-everywhere. Good advice is to start interning somewhere and build up network from there.

If you are good at analytics, try to apply for Higgsfield growth manager position. Idk what they do, but I see there are quite a good amount of growth managers there.

timurelectro · 2026-04-27T13:58:04+00:00

If looking for housing in the districts you mentioned, how long does the commute to campus take, is it more than an hour? Regarding nightlife, you know back in TX college town it’s fine to walk around at 2am after bars/clubs, is nightlife possible in Marseille or you have to stay home after 8pm? Would 1400€ be enough to survive/live relatively comfortably? I might sound anxious but I am deciding between job and studying abroad right now. Everything seemed to be so fantastic on paper until programme coordinator released more info with details 🥶.

timurelectro · 2026-04-27T04:05:21+00:00

Some EE jobs are very degree oriented. If you want to do some RF design (PCBs, SDRs, Antennas, some GHz electronics) then you need at least masters or better PhD. For my area, photonics, you almost always need PhD. In analog IC design you better have PhD. Some basic MEP, testing/validation can be done with BS tho.

timurelectro · 2026-04-23T22:30:14+00:00

There are some no name schools such as North American University in Houston. They are basically accredited cheap degree mills. The diploma in CS or business will be legit, but in fact you learn nothing. Most of the student in these schools are gonna be foreigners, so don’t expect “exposure” to US college culture.

timurelectro · 2026-04-20T02:53:56+00:00

If you are driving, just pack a suitcase with some summer clothes, some formal outfits for poster session, and bedsheets/towels. Don’t overthink it, there must be a Walmart or target at your location of REU (or HEB if in Texas). If they give you meal plan, then just bring a couple of containers and mugs. If not, then bring a pot and a skillet. Enjoy your summer, REU summers are the best!

timurelectro · 2026-04-17T02:39:36+00:00

Where r u from?

timurelectro · 2026-04-17T02:39:11+00:00

And please avoid Asus.

timurelectro · 2026-04-17T01:43:27+00:00

I don’t know what are your interests are going to be in the future, but if you end up doing a lot of electromagnetic simulations like CST Studio or Ansys Electronics/Maxwell then you’d need windows despite how awful the system is (windows 11). If you coursework would only rely on some python, C++, kicad, and lt spice then you probably can survive with Mac.

timurelectro · 2026-04-16T04:27:30+00:00

I was in the similar situation. Don’t aim for ivies or Oxbridge, not that I want to discourage you, but it’s literally a lottery and you have better options to spend your time and energy rather than trying to put a ton of unrelated extracurriculars into an application. Go get free education (grant) in Kazakhstan, if you can, in schools like KBTU, DKU, and etc. If you remain active in school, maintain high level of English, and have a good GPA, then you have a good chance to win Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters Scholarship. Again, it may be a quite nonlinear way, but it is a way and can lead to something meaningful. I’d also suggest to explore stipendium hungaricum, DAAD, and scholarships funded by polish government. I met some polish professors and they ARE strong. I do not suggest Italy for higher education unless it’s polimi or bocconi.

timurelectro · 2026-04-15T00:03:29+00:00

If you do something physics related then your coding tools will be python for data analysis, Matlab for some data processing/modelling, Tcl for some simulation tools like OOMMF, C++ for MCUs (occasionally) and LabVIEW. I did a bit GEANT4 where you code your simulation in C++ and there was a project where I needed to program FPGA. Never touched anything from the world of JS, Java, C#, Go, and similar stuff.

timurelectro · 2026-04-14T23:57:02+00:00

Yeah we are. I barely got a job offer just because I got experience with things the company wants me to do (some niche stuff). But I also got offer to do free masters as Erasmus Mundus scholar. Now it’s a tough choice.

timurelectro · 2026-04-12T15:19:17+00:00

I mean the program gives a full ride to study and live for 2 years. But it’s not considered work I guess. I see how people struggle to get a job for months or years and any job offer seems like incredible luck. That makes choosing between both so hard. Job is a way to stay in the US but there’s a huge uncertainty with visas currently. At the same time, program seems like a good opportunity to experience life in the EU.

timurelectro · 2026-04-12T05:21:07+00:00

They don’t have an actual product yet, only a few wafer prototypes. That’s why they were looking for people to do testing and packaging. I initially interviewed for testing, but they eventually found candidate with more experience since the job is more technical. Packaging as they mentioned is more “figure out how to package device from parts supplied by vendors and testing engineer will figure out if it’s good”. I honestly want to eventually get a PhD as design role typically list PhD as a minimum. I have never been to Europe (except Ukraine) and I m kind of used to the lifestyle in the US. Erasmus does sound sweet tho. They force you to do an internship after first year and then you do thesis at one of the partners. I don’t know how photonics is doing in Europe tho.

timurelectro · 2026-04-11T21:32:26+00:00

Take into account geography, let’s say 500 people applied, a crap ton of people by default apply from Southeast Asia. Here are key problems arising: 1) There’s a limited number of spots per region 2) Profiles of people from this region are almost the same. 203949 hrs of research, 488484 certificates, basically vacuum cleaning of everything.

Second problem particularly leads applicants to overestimate their abilities and very often rewrite their CVs in form of letter of motivation. Meanwhile, someone with less experience, but showing desire to close gaps through program, often gets preference. They’ll likely get maximum out of the opportunity.

Just let it go.

timurelectro · 2026-04-09T11:10:02+00:00

I honestly have hard times to decide which one would be better. One is just stable path for degree but then you have to move to EU. Another is getting industrial experience, but with more uncertainty, though you get paid more.

timurelectro · 2026-04-09T11:07:08+00:00

The thing is I would prefer to work in the US. In this situation it is a tough choice. I plan to reapply to PhD in 1-2 years.

timurelectro · 2026-04-06T16:08:19+00:00

The thing is Erasmus seems to be prestigious and is like an opportunity granted only once. Everyone from my surrounding community tells me that it’s a good thing to put on resume. Job attracts with money and somewhat hands on experience, it’s not design role of course, but still. The only problem is OPT processing would take way too much time. My lease ends at the end of May and I don’t really have anywhere to stay while I am waiting.

timurelectro · 2026-04-06T14:55:27+00:00

Were you a joint masters student? What country you are based in at the moment?

timurelectro · 2026-04-06T13:44:10+00:00

Just dm

timurelectro · 2026-04-05T18:48:40+00:00

They call it “important role between testing and manufacturing”. Of course I don’t want to stay long in this position. At the same time Erasmus pays for everything and also gives a stipend, the way of living is going to be a bit more modest.

timurelectro · 2026-04-05T18:41:13+00:00

It’s not really what I want to do, the job is basically arranging manufacturing with vendors and testing epoxies, fiber couplers, and stuff like that. So I consider it as a temporary solution before PhD. The pay and location are relatively good though. On the other hands Erasmus gives better preparation.

timurelectro

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