Whatever you’ve heard about 209, it’s probably true. One of the most challenging courses if not the most challenging course you will take during your second year of Electrical Engineering (I cannot speak on behalf of COMPSYS), It demands the best out of you. In this blog I would like to perform a dissection on this course, explore different aspects of this course, and why it is challenging.
Theory
Software
The theoretical part isn’t astonishingly hard, and with regular lecture attendance it’ll be very manageable. Do note however, the breadth of knowledge is on the bigger side and lectures do go at a fast pace which often require you to either a) go over lecturers before the lecture (crazy concept I know) or b) go over slides again after the lecture. Your choice, but make sure your theoretical understanding is solid, as that forms the base of knowledge required for many other things. You might be a circuit person, or a coding person but in 209 you need to be good in both. Often CompSys students are stronger in coding, and electrical students are stronger in analogue.
One reason why 209 is so useful is because it teaches you industrial practices. One of which being the software we use to simulate, model, and design. You need time to familiarize yourself with these applications, and the fast pacing of this course does mean that time is often a constraint. New software means that we’re thrown in a brand-new environment, so often even with theoretical knowledge, it can take copious amounts of time to complete those labs.
Practical
to prototype our designs, tools such as DMM, PSU, and oscilloscopes are frequently used to test circuits and finalize values and designs. Often waves observed are less than perfect, but it is very reassuring to see theory you’ve learnt actually works in real life. Who would have guessed! Besides that, you’ll also learn how to solder, an important skill you must know as an Electrical engineer.
Why so hard?
If I had to give a definitive answer, I would say it’s a combination of everything. Fast pace, new software, and theory for both analogue and digital. This is a course that truly gives you a taste of engineering. Also, huge amounts of marks are allocated to high stake environments such as interviews and tests, so despite the large amount of time you spent during labs and making your PCB, you still must perform under pressure. In our midterm interviews, I’d say I spoke no more than 10 minutes, yet it accounted for a large chunk of my grade.
Rambles
I’ve always found it cliche when people say time flies, but in this course it really does. You’re too busy grinding in those 7pm labs, writing code, blowing up diodes, and writing equations to be concerned about the time. It pays to mention that this is a group course, as in industry you will often work in groups, and finding those with similar aspirations as you are empirical to succeed in this course. If you are taking this course in the future, best of luck!! Light is at the end of the tunnel!!!