HDL guy trying to concentrate on embedded

I am very interested in VHDL and VLSI but I have been looking at my job prospects as a recent grad in Canada and I am quite worried. There simply aren't many opportunities here for it. So I am thinking of concentrating more on general embedded programming and design. It retains a lot of the same things that got me interested in HDLs while the job prospects appear to be far, far, far greater. However, I don't have the same level of confidence in it.

Sorry for yet another annoying "teach me" thread but I was hoping someone might be kind enough to point me in the best direction for learning the absolute essentials of embedded programming/design and the special considerations that go into this particular discipline.

For example, if I could read only one book, should I pick up a book on RTOS? Embedded C? Embedded Linux? Just a general book on Embedded sytems?

I have been eyeing this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Embedded-Lin...bs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1203463275&sr=8-1
Gets good reviews and since I could never get into using linux, it might kill two birds with one stone. But I am unsure if this is really the direction I should be taking as I want to learn in order of importance for starting my career.

Thank you very much. Your help is appreciated!

I guess programming the PIC microcontroller should be a good starting point...U may run ur demo programs in MPLAB ide(free) during which u should get a feel of embedded C too.....Linux can be taken up later ...

I am myself quite new in this field....may be others might have better suggesstions!!

Actually, a couple of years I ago in school I created a robot that found its way around a room searching for and recording the frequncies of infra-red light emitters. Used a PIC processor and MPLAB.

I guess I knew something without realizing it.

In the meantime I've been reading the intro chapters to "Real-Time Concepts for Embedded Systems", doesn't seem the most detailed book but since I already know quite a bit about architecture and hardware I shouldn't need too much detail. Concepts just to connect what I know with the special considerations of this kind of work is good.

I am also thinking of combining practicing my VHDL and embedded stuff by using a soft core processor on my FPGA board for embedded development. That would be a great project but I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself!

Anyways, thanks for the suggestion and sorry again for the "I want to learn" thread, I was reading threads in the Jobs section and panicked.

Pongetti said:

I am also thinking of combining practicing my VHDL and embedded stuff by using a soft core processor on my FPGA board for embedded development. That would be a great project but I'm probably getting a little ahead of myself!

Click to expand...

Great!!that way u will kill two birds with one stone