Education · 1 of 5
The path
A degree, then the licence, or a software job that does not need it.
- 1
High school
Grades 11 and 12
Advanced Functions, Calculus, Physics and Chemistry are required. Toronto expects the low to mid 90s and Waterloo the high 80s to low 90s. Carleton and Ottawa admit from the high 70s to 80%.
- 2
Accredited computer engineering degree
4 to 5 years with co-op
A four-year Bachelor of Engineering or Applied Science at a school accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board. Circuits, digital logic, operating systems and a lot of programming.
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Co-op and internships
During school
Employers care more about what you have built and where you interned than your marks. Waterloo runs six work terms.
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First job
Final year
Many grads take software or firmware jobs titled developer or designer and never register with a regulator.
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P.Eng (professional engineer) licence
2 to 4 years
About 4 years as an EIT (engineer-in-training), or 24 months in Quebec, plus an ethics exam. Needed to practise engineering, such as safety-critical hardware for medical, power or avionics, and to use the title engineer.