Sunday, June 16, 2024

Is it possible to self-study Electronics Engineering?

Is it possible to self-study Electronics Engineering?

 Absolutely yes! I did and do (never stop learning). I know quite a few others who have and do. The most successful people I've known in EE were already teaching themselves electronics long before going to college, or never got a degree. A friend of mine was building experiments for NASA when he was 19, with nothing but a high school diploma and studying on his own. Did you see the story about the NASA satellite launched in 1978 that returned in 2014, the ISEE-3, and was discovered to be still working? He built or took part in building about half of the equipment on board.

This Satellite Just Returned From Circling the Sun, But NASA’s Lost the Ability to Talk to It

Fortunately, a coalition of ham radio operators got the necessary information from NASA and put up the equipment and antennas to talk to it with the help of crowdfunding, finding only one of the 13 pieces of sensing equipment had failed. Later reports said that only 5 were working, I don't know why that number changed. The intention was to send the ISEE-3 to another comet. Sadly, the rockets failed to work correctly, possibly due to age, possibly due to poor decisions based on flawed knowledge. Contact was subsequently lost.

International Cometary Explorer

He has had a long career repairing and designing electronic equipment, sometimes designing modifications, sometimes designing entirely new things. He has been building temperature logging electronics for decades that is lowered into drill holes. They must stay together at temperatures that melt solder, and keep accurate time and temperature. He is currently working on a newer version. Researchers and companies all over the world ask him to build these sensors, sometimes he must first get permission from the US government depending on the country.

I will point you to my answer here, I suggest reading other answers to this question:

Steven J Greenfield's answer to How can I teach my self about electronics and electrical engineering?

Even if you go to college, the majority of study in your life will be self-study.

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