by Barry Van Veen
I am often asked, "What do careers in signal processing involve?" My answer is, "Almost anything." Signal processing has invaded every aspect of our daily lives. Medical diagnostics and treatment, transportation, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and personal electronics, e.g., cell phones, are a few of the everyday places we use signal processing. The vast majority of individuals use signal processing almost continually without knowing they are doing so.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my own career has been the experience of applying my signal-processing toolbox to many different applications. This includes: acoustics, audio, biomedical imaging, brain networks, hearing aids, lightning detection, sonar, radar, virtual reality, and wireless communications. I really enjoy getting to interact with scientists and application specialists to learn about their problems and envision ways that signal processing could help reach their goals.
Careers in Signal Processing
The IEEE Signal Processing Society recently released a series of seven short videos on careers in signal processing. These videos highlight the diverse range of careers in signal processing through interviews of working professionals. You can access the entire playlist by clicking on the first video below.
May you have a rewarding career, no matter which path you choose.
