Soldering Electronics

I wonder where these people are gone? There seems to be no more electronic enthusiasts around here in India anymore! No one seems to breadboard things, solder stuff to PCB’s… No one seems to like the smell of lead at the tip of soldering iron.

I live in a Indian metro called Chennai. When I was young I did see many soldering electronic stuff, opening up radios, telephones, electric irons to repair them. Some how people were smart and got things done all by them. But now every one seems to keep away from electronics.

Though I am an electronic engineer, the need for money has pushed me out of the domain I love and into the world of programming which I frankly consider less intelligent. Everything can be solved so easily in programming, but not in electronics. You need to have the right brain to know what you can do with the parts available to to you. That makes it interesting. Its for mind that wants to think and engineer, not for the mind to earn a quick buck sitting at a stupid outsourcing firm (which promotes new slave trade).

The education system has blown off the spirit from electronics students. Education (engineering and polytechnic) have both become a course where they bug students to submit assignments, tell them to write stuff, get score somehow in university exams, teach them to cheat in practical exams and thats it. They do not kindle a students enthusiasm, do not encourage them to make a circuits. Its pathetic.

Though electronics Industry in India will expand, I don’t think we will have qualified persons to do stuff in the right and efficient way. I am quiet sure that even in far future companies will hire electronics engineers asking them stupid questions which they think are bloody smart, but which shows only that they are stupids.

Heck, is there any true electronics engineer around? Please contact me if you are one.