The main problem with fresh graduates is that "they have a lot of knowledge, but they don't know anything". During the first few years in industry, most of them learn to translate the academic knowledge into a practical sense of how things get done (and those who don't learn this, fall by the wayside).
Compliance engineering is just one more case of "putting it all together". Most of the specific requirements represent codification of good design practices for optimum function. A class that teaches how to design for electromagnetic compatibility, will inevitably discuss good design practices applicable to any circuit design. (What is the downside to auto-routing a circuit board, why does the ground plane belong at this particular layer of the board stack-up). The other part of a compliance engineer's work is paperwork and politics. While there is a generically useful set of "office politics for engineers" that would probably be useful for everyone to learn, this is not really engineering, and I do not think it belongs as part of the academic curriculum. And the specific legal framework for EMC, telecom or safety compliance is of no interest for the vast majority of engineers. Just two cents' from a telecom engineer at work. / Lars Poulsen [email protected] +1-805-562-3158 OSICOM Technologies (Internet Business Unit) (formerly RNS) 7402 Hollister Avenue Manager of Remote Access Engineering Goleta, CA 93117 Internets designed while you wait
