Hello everyone, I am Xiaozaojun.
A few days ago, I saw that many official accounts reprinted an article I wrote last year - " Should I apply for "Communication Engineering"?" ".
June is the month of the college entrance examination, and many candidates have to fill in their volunteers. Originally, I wanted to make some fresh food, repost this article, and catch a hot spot. Unexpectedly, these guys were faster than me, and they even started first.
This made me very embarrassed - should I fry it or not?
After thinking about it, I still decided to write a new article and come up with something new.
█ Situation changes in the communications industry
To apply for communication engineering, you must first understand the communication industry.
At present, the overall development situation of the communication industry is rather delicate.
There are two major sectors in the industry, wireless communication and wired communication (optical communication). Wireless here. It has been four years since 5G was commercially available, and the large-scale construction of base stations has ended. After the network is built, the application implementation is not very ideal, and it is still being explored.
Wireless communication is limited by theoretical bottlenecks (spectrum efficiency has been squeezed to the limit), user demand (too few demand scenarios), and cost (chips are still too expensive), etc., and has entered a stagflation state.
There is demand for the Internet of Things, but the standards are chaotic, cost-sensitive, serious involution, and low profits. There are no new hot spots for mobile consumer applications, and the VR/AR metaverse is getting colder with loud thunder and little rain. The growth of the wireless communication industry lacks momentum. Operators' investment in this area must be shrinking.
There is a branch of wireless communication, and the rising momentum is very obvious, that is, satellite communication. It is recommended that students who apply for communication engineering pay attention to it, and they can lean on it. Let’s not talk about foreign starlinks. Our domestic starnet has just launched a low-orbit experimental satellite. It is estimated that there will be a wave of enthusiasm in the future.
In contrast, the situation on the optical communication side is more optimistic. Of course, it is still because of the thigh of "computing power".
Nowadays, cloud computing, big data, and artificial intelligence are everywhere in the society, which drives the demand for general computing power, super computing power and intelligent computing power. With the rapid development of data centers, there is a great demand for DCI (networks between data centers) and super-performance networks (supporting networks for large-scale computing power clusters inside data centers) related to data centers.
Optical communication stocks soared before because of the strong demand for optical modules, optical devices, and optical equipment driven by the AI model. (However, this boom in large-scale models seems to be showing signs of fading. According to the usual practice, after all the hustle and bustle, there is a lot of chicken feathers.)
The "computing from the east to the west" promoted by the state, as well as the "computing power network" promoted by the operation, are all opportunities for optical communication.
Our entire society depends on the aorta of the transmission backbone network. The only thing I can predict with certainty in the communications industry is that the amount of data will continue to grow exponentially, and the aorta of optical communications will continue to expand.
On the access network side, in terms of fiber broadband services, operators and equipment vendors are actively promoting FTTR (Fiber into the Room). I am more optimistic about the all-optical renovation of the park.
In summary, wireless communications (except satellite communications) are weak and demand for optical communications is strong. Students who apply for communication engineering can pay more attention to optical communication.
Oh, yes, there is also a core network. If you see it, try to walk around it.
█Employment Direction Analysis
It is difficult to get a job, so I don't need to say more about it. This is true not only in the communications industry, but in the entire industry.
There are only a few good companies in the communications industry. The four major equipment manufacturers and the three major operators have very limited absorption capacity. Talents in the first echelon, try to squeeze in.
The second echelon can find ways to enter the leading companies in the subdivided fields of the communications industry. Such as SXF, RJ, XHS, ZJXC, etc.
Students of Shuangfei, I still say the old saying, unless you have patience to endure and perseverance to fight, otherwise, you should not enter the communication industry. If it doesn't work, get a job first, then choose a career, and leave as soon as you have the opportunity.
Don't boil frogs in the telecommunications industry, they will reach the ceiling soon. At that time, there will be no young capital, and there will be no way to reuse capabilities, so it will be difficult to transform.
College students, unless it is absolutely necessary, try not to go to communication outsourcers. Especially those who require you to spend money on training before recommending them to work. It is also a low starting point for employment, programming as a code farmer or hardware, the chances of turning over are greater.
In addition to the postgraduate entrance examination, there is another way out for graduates in communication engineering. Now that the entire industry is undergoing digital transformation, many traditional companies need digital-savvy talents who can exercise their abilities comprehensively and then look for opportunities in vertical industries. Looking for a job is now all about contacts and connections, and you have to work hard to use the available resources without shame.
Many people asked if the design institute would work, and I said: emm...
█Academic research direction of communication engineering
For communication engineering, the school is not very good, so I either work hard to take the postgraduate entrance examination, or learn some practical skills honestly, and focus on finding a job. What are the practical skills, I said last year, I won't repeat it this year.
In many universities in China, communication engineering majors are taught blindly, so don't expect to learn practical things. You must have a clear mind, get in touch with society as soon as possible, take the initiative to learn useful skills, and don't waste four years.
Students in the first echelon are qualified to do academic research. At present, there are several popular directions in communication, and there are more researches, and it is easier to write papers:
The first is synesthesia integration. To put it bluntly, it is communication + radar, so that the base station can also be transformed into a "radar" to perceive everything, which is based on wireless electromagnetic waves anyway. This direction is easier to tell stories and has more room for imagination.
The second is the RIS metasurface, a 6G research hotspot with great potential.
The third is quantum communication. This thing is a bit controversial, and there are some risks. Bet right and the future is boundless.
The fourth is wireless communication research on high-frequency spectrum. As mentioned above, wireless and optical communication are actually electromagnetic waves, and optical communication is essentially wireless electromagnetic wave communication. The resources of low frequency and intermediate frequency are insufficient, and wireless communication is now going to high frequency, 6GHz, millimeter wave, and terahertz. There is still some room for research on how to control higher frequency wireless electromagnetic waves.
Fifth, as I mentioned earlier, satellite communications. Low-orbit satellites, high-throughput satellites, NTN, air-space-ground integration, traditional mobile phones directly connected to satellite communications... a lot of new tricks are very popular now and can be studied.
The rest is things like semantic communication and holographic communication. Interested students can pay attention to it.
The depth of communication learning is all mathematics. Please remember this point.
█Summary _
Finally, let's converge on the question again - can "communication engineering" be reported?
Whether a major can apply or not depends on many factors. There are two main categories:
1. Objective factors
Is this major a popular development direction in the future? Is the popularity of the industry rising or falling? Are there many jobs? Are there many choices? Whether it is popular or not, and so on.
2. Subjective factors
Is this major suitable for you, whether you like it, whether you are interested, and whether you can pass the exam. Whether the family supports it, and whether the conditions can keep up. Do you like the target city, whether there are many girls, whether the weather is good, whether it is close to home, etc.
All I can suggest is objective factors. I will tell you about the industry and professional situation. Based on these situations, everyone eliminates information gaps, and then makes judgments based on their own subjective factors.
Communication Engineering is an entry point into digital technologies and the digital industry. Bachelor's degree in communication does not mean that you will definitely enter the communication industry. It is a matter of course for you to apply for communication engineering and transform into computers or electronic information. So, there is no need to be so entangled.
Most young people don't understand this major at all. Anyway, if you have enough scores, you should report first. On the contrary, the probability of stepping on thunder is definitely lower than other tiankeng majors. After you have learned it, you have a deep understanding, and then you can see if you want to enter the industry. There are still many options behind.
I still have the same old saying, undergraduate is to lay a foundation, school and region are more important than majors. Even if you choose a good major, don't study hard, and don't broaden your horizons, it will still be nothing.
Well, that's all for today. personal opinion for reference only!
