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electrical engineering question

I am interested in learning electrical engineering, but I am unable to
attend a local college for various reasons (first being distance) and
I am a bit dubious of an online college for such a involved field.

I have had some previous college many years ago including calculus
through diff equ., physics, optics, english, and even one course in
electromagetics, but everything is very rusty and I have some doubts
it will be as easy as getting back on a bike.

I already have a basic understanding of electronics. I understand
Kirchoff's laws, know how to bias a transistor amplifier, design
simple op-amp circuits, and a decent understanding of digital
electronics including several microcontrollers. What I don't have is
a firm grasp of electromagnetics and RF. I want an engineer's
understanding of this, not just a cookbook knowledge of a few
circuits.

I purchased the third edition of John D. Kraus' Electromagnetics and I
plan to work through the entire book but I am unsure if I will be able
to obtain a complete understanding without an extensive review of
calculus and possibly other resources I do not know about.

If you were to try and self teach electrical engineering, where would
you start?

Thanks for any help,

Roland
 
T

Tim Williams

Jan 1, 1970
0
I have had some previous college many years ago including calculus
through diff equ., physics, optics, english, and even one course in
electromagetics, but everything is very rusty and I have some doubts
it will be as easy as getting back on a bike.

Don't worry about that, you're already an order of magnitude ahead of
90% of today's students. The bigger problems are, can you get
financing (including scholarships, which shouldn't be too hard if
you're good at relearning those mathy subjects), secure all possible
transfer credits (probably about half the curriculum is going to be
stuff you've already done, but it may not all fit into their
framework), and be able to live on campus if the travel is too far.
And work nearby if possible.

What kind of engineering are you looking for? If you need that piece
of paper, you have to pay for it. If you're working somewhere that
doesn't require certification, but does require an engineer, a cheaper
course is acceptable. If they don't require a piece of paper at all,
then don't bother, just go to work. You'll learn more in two years on
the job than you will at any university, and it's all applied
experience. Emphasize your talents on your resume, it should be no
problem.

Tim
 
J

J.A. Legris

Jan 1, 1970
0
I am interested in learning electrical engineering, but I am unable to
attend a local college for various reasons (first being distance) and
I am a bit dubious of an online college for such a involved field.

I have had some previous college many years ago including calculus
through diff equ., physics, optics, english, and even one course in
electromagetics, but everything is very rusty and I have some doubts
it will be as easy as getting back on a bike.

I already have a basic understanding of electronics.  I understand
Kirchoff's laws, know how to bias a transistor amplifier, design
simple op-amp circuits, and a decent understanding of digital
electronics including several microcontrollers.  What I don't have is
a firm grasp of electromagnetics and RF.  I want an engineer's
understanding of this, not just a cookbook knowledge of a few
circuits.

I purchased the third edition of John D. Kraus' Electromagnetics and I
plan to work through the entire book but I am unsure if I will be able
to obtain a complete understanding without an extensive review of
calculus and possibly other resources I do not know about.

If you were to try and self teach electrical engineering, where would
you start?

Thanks for any help,

Roland

Work your way through this:

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/Electrical-Engineering-and-Computer-Science/

You won't get a degree, but it's M.I.T. and it's free!
 
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