CEG: Computer Engineering

So I am back home and enjoying. Ok, another post for that "home" subject matter later.

So here I talk about Computer Engineering, my course of study at NUS. Computer Engineering at NUS until 2008-09 was offered separately by the Faculty of Engineering and School of Computing. From what my seniors tell me, the one from FoE (CPE) is totally electrical engineering but more stress on computer hardware part and the one from SoC is totally software. So what NUS has done from 2009 onwards is to combine both these engineering degrees and make a new Computer Engineering offered jointly by SoC and FoE
For more info : See the official website

I am the first batch for this course and so are most of the Indians here. Its actually like the first 10 roll numbers for this cohort are all Indians!
We come under a new virtual faculty under CORS as Joint Multi-Disciplinary Program, and as most of the people call us : we are "faculty-less". We dont have a home faculty. It is true till some extent as we dont have a faculty name on our Matriculation card and it really sucks not to have one written on it. Though I would have preferred "FoE/SoC".

As NUS puts it :
"The new CEG programme aims to produce graduates with a good foundation to work in the critical layer of technology that interfaces hardware with software. In particular, graduates will be able to attain significant knowledge and abilities in key technologies for real-time embedded systems, computer networking & wireless communication systems, medical imaging & information systems, intelligent control systems, and many others. In the workplace, computer engineers span a wide range of skills: Eg: developing MP3 players and headphones, creating novel security/cryptographic systems for protecting images, music, etc."

We are like the in-between people for hardware and software, the ones involved in the totally latest techie things these days : mobile phones, mp3 players etc. We would write software for them and even develop their main-boards and processors. Cool ah!
The Computer industry has matured. Hardware cannot be separated from Software and its no more like
"Beware of the Software guy carrying a screw-driver" or "Beware of the Hardware guy with a software patch"

As argued by most we are the ones who are "Jack of all trades, master of none". But I would say that we are master of the in-things these days! We are not like the electrical ones, designing circuits all day. Circuits these days are all microcontrollers and do need a firmware. So we can write the firmware too. And not like the Computing ones with just the algorithm in their hand. We have both the tools in our hands. And of course 4 years into this field can surely make us master both tasks.We would not be deep into electrical, but electronics and communication. We would not be deep into algorithms and all logic. Its a perfect balance for both. Write code for what you build.
Adding more to the positive side: We can play IFG(Inter-Faculty games) from any side!! We are loyal (perhaps disloyal) to both! haha!
From what I have heard from reliable sources : we will have our own special labs for CEG. We have financial $$$ support from both the faculties. And (I guess) we will have both the option of UROP and SPC!!

CEG sounds really good till now. Lets see how much I grasp. I have tried to get the max out for my course by taking up a GEM in my first sem relating to it : GEK1514: Microelectronics - from sand to IC. More of it in a later post.

For my first sem I had CG1101, the new form of CS1101 designed for the CEG ppl. It was a bit tough for many. Though I have been programming for the past 6yrs, the logic part was a bit tough :( . Awaiting result.

A perfect CEG profession as it appears to me now is a person well-versed in the latest technologies, constantly updated, can code all new things and get on any hardware without much difficulty. It can be the ultimate profession as a product-project manager with necessary business skills or perhaps an own start-up with a revolutionary product.