What computer Engineering do?

Computer engineers continually push the capability and applicability of computers in every industry and every facet of modern life.

Boosting Capability & Usability

Computer engineers embed computers in other machines and systems, build networks to transfer data, and develop ways to make computers, faster, smaller, and more capable. Computer engineers are improving the ability of computers to "see" and "think." They are making computers more mobile, and even incorporating computers into fabrics, clothes, and building materials.

The Body and the Mind

Computer engineers are concerned with analyzing and solving computer-oriented problems. CPEs understand both the hardware and the software of computers. This enables them to choose the solution that is best, not just the one they know. Sometimes the answer to making a program more efficient is a change in the computer itself. Sometimes it's cheaper and faster to change the software than the hardware. The knowledge of both the "body" and the "mind" of a computer helps computer engineers work at the microscopic level and on a large, system-wide scale.

A Field of Its Own

Computer engineers use many of the principles and techniques of electrical engineering and many of computer science. Computer engineering, however, is more than a blend of two other fields.
The major technical areas of CPE:

• Cybersecurity
• Networking
• Design automation
• Machine intelligence

• Computer software
• Biomedical
• Embedded Systems

Careers

Computer engineering graduates typically have some of the highest starting salaries in engineering. Computer engineers have the option of moving into hardware or software positions, or blending the two.
Typical industries hiring computer engineers, include financial services, computer manufacturers, chemical companies, defense contractors, consulting, transportation, manufacturing, and consumer goods. Computer engineers are equally successful in large multinational firms and small startups.

Computer engineers are hardware hackers who work on making hardware "Do things." For example, they can program the thermostat in your house to be remotely controlled via your iPhone. They are heavy on the programming side and on the hardware side. They work with chips, IC's, and other gadgetry. They tinker with things. Soldering, oscilloscopes, bread boards, and getting zapped by electricity are just some of the fun things we get.
If you want to get started in computer engineering, you should take a look at the awesome freedom-loving folks over at Arduino.
See that thing in the palm of that dude's hand? Yeah, that's what they play with on the side. Using that little thing and plenty of reading, amateur's such as yourself can make earthquake detectors, lawnmowers, credit card readers, and all kinds of other fun stuff. The most fun part is playing pranks. I built this device in high school that made cricket chirping sounds and put it in the teacher's room. She couldn't figure out what the heck was going on. The Principal called in the exterminator 4 times and they still couldn't find it. It was great. After doing it for about 5 years, Intel will look at you and go, "oh wow."