Throughout the years of COVID-induced shutdowns, many careers resorted to operating remotely out of necessity. However, in today’s post-COVID culture, professional and corporate landscapes are navigating questions of how and whether to shift many of those roles back to in-person or on-site positions.
Though there will likely always remain more flexibility after COVID for most sectors and career paths, professionals or future professionals that value being able to work from home have to look a bit more closely at positions that may currently be remote but might not stay that way. The question remains: Which of the career options you’re considering right now allow for remote work possibilities long into the future?
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Thankfully, some career types are ones that will likely always offer plenty of remote work opportunities. Computer engineering is one such area. If you are interested in a work-from-home career, computer engineering could be a strategic choice.
What Does a Degree in Computer Engineering Allow Me to Do?
Though many of these terms are often incorrectly used interchangeably, computer engineering degrees differ from degrees in computer science or other areas of engineering. A computer engineering degree focuses on expanding “the capability and applicability of computers.”
In other words, computer engineers bridge the gap between technological capabilities and end use. They work to shape technological advances to best meet needs and make technology more readily applicable.
Alternatively, computer science focuses on computer design, the study of computers, and the use of programming and algorithms to make computers do the things we need them to do.
Electronic engineering, a different branch of the engineering family, is concerned with designing, creating, and optimizing the hardware used in computing such as circuit boards, chips, and other hardware components that make a computer work. These differences are important to keep in mind because they determine what a professional would be doing with his or her time in each of those professions. Tasks, aptitudes, and responsibilities can vary widely.
Computer engineering can be utilized in a wide variety of role types. As a computer engineer, your expertise could be applied in settings such as product design, research and development, customer discovery, or the development of software or hardware products depending on the company, role, or organization you choose.
Types of Computer Engineering Careers I Can Do from Home
Though there are definitely more categories available than could fit in this article, here are a few examples of technology jobs you could pursue with a computer engineering degree that would allow you to work from home:
Software Development
From products to education to manufacturing to services, software touches every conceivable process and industry that exists in the world today. The need only continues to increase for developers who can apply advanced computer and technology expertise to building the software needed for just about everything under the sun.
Software developers write and design the code needed to run everything from micro-applications that power small devices to huge, complex systems that manage equipment worth billions of dollars.
Cyber security
Cyber security is a growing field that deals with the ever intensifying need to keep information, data, money, and other digitally stored assets from falling into the wrong hands. Cyber security jobs can often be accomplished remotely, making this a lucrative and strategic career choice for those who would like to work from home.
Cyber security professionals could work for large corporations, security firms, government agencies, or small organizations across a wide band of industry types.
Product Design and Development
The process of creating new software or hardware products can be a grueling one. Computer engineers that enter the world of product design often get the opportunity to exercise multiple skill sets. First, they need to understand the technical specifications, properties, and limits of the materials or components they are working with in order to manipulate them proficiently. Second, they need to have strong communication, empathy, and curiosity skills to engage with customers or users and develop an in-depth understanding of the needs and uses the new product is meant to satisfy.
This area of computer engineering can involve long timelines and projects that could take years to complete depending on the product type and industry. However, it can be a hugely rewarding and challenging field.
Whatever types of secondary skills and lifestyle preferences you might have to work with, choosing a degree and eventual job in computer engineering can afford you the opportunity to not only engage in a fulfilling career but do it from the comfort of your own home.
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