Embedded Systems
Embedded Systems are at the intersection of Electronics and Software. You'll have to have a good grounding in both of these traditional disciplines as well as some specialist knowledge that comes into play when the two interact. As a result, getting to be good at Embedded Systems requires coverage of huge number of topics, and no one can be an expert in all of them. Try not to get overwhelmed.
On the other hand, embedded systems isn't covered that well in many places, and lots of software engineering isn't easily applicable to the smaller processors that are typical in low power, small RAM and ROM, cost effective and real-time scenarios that embedded systems covers. Experts in this area are rare.
Starting Places
These resources are good starting points for newcomers and to return to regularly to expand your knowledge.
- Phillip Johnston's Beginners page on Embedded Artistry
- Meysam Parvizi's The Embedded Systems Roadmap
- Prof Philip Koopman's Better Embedded System Software book
- The work of Jack Ganssle
- Elecia and Chris White's Embedded.fm podcast
Theory and Practice
Embedded Systems can't be fully learned just in theory from books, articles, podcasts and videos - it has to be practiced. There are many cheap dev boards which only require plugging into the USB port of your computer and have everything you need on-board. At some point you will need some electronics test equipment but you can get a surprisingly long way with just a cheap USB logic analyser and some wires.