Career as Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineers specialize in power supply and generation. They design, develop, test and supervise electrical equipment manufacturing. They have also been trained to handle responsibilities like wiring and lighting installations in buildings, automobiles and aircraft. What is great about being an electrical engineer is that the training is so extensive that graduates may land a job in many different industries such as construction, manufacturing and design. Moreover, electrical engineers may take part in development and research as assistants to scientists and other engineers. Many kinds of electronic equipment from portable music players to GPS devices pass through an electronic engineer’s hands. They come up with means to use electrical power to operate a certain product or improve its functions. Among the most challenging and in-demand tasks for electronic engineers today include developing construction plans for electrical lighting systems for skyscrapers, designing remote-controlled race cars and building technology for factories like robots that can perform welding.
Job Profile
What do Electrical Engineers do?
According to the US Department of Labor, Electrical Engineers "design, develop, test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical and electronic equipment." For more details, visit the electrical engineering pages of Occupational Outlook Handbook, Sloan Cornerstone Career Center and the Electrical Engineering department web site, which has a video on EE careers.
Where do they work?
Electrical Engineers work in industries as diverse as telecommunications, energy and electric power, semiconductors, aerospace, bioengineering, manufacturing, education and research, transportation and automotive, according to the Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers. Examples of job responsibilities include:
- Expanding satellite communications for mobile telephone users (telecommunications)
- Developing electronics and power equipment for aircraft and spacecraft (aerospace)
- Designing life support systems (bioengineering)
- Designing and evaluating manufacturing techniques (manufacturing)
- Developing new amusement park rides (service industry)
- Teaching college or university courses related to electrical and electronics engineering (academia and research)
Your exact duties would depend on your industry, but could include:
- carrying out feasibility studies for new technical developments
- drawing up project plans and circuit diagrams, using computer-assisted engineering and design software
- estimating costs and project timescales
- coordinating the work of technicians and craftspeople
- testing installations and systems, and analyzing test data
- making sure projects meet safety regulations
- overseeing inspection and maintenance programmes
- attending meetings, writing reports and giving presentations.
Skills required
To be an electrical engineer you will need to have:
- Excellent math’s, science and IT skills
- The ability to produce and interpret technical diagrams
- The ability to analyze complex problems and assess possible solutions
- The ability to explain design ideas clearly
- Strong decision-making skills
- Excellent communication skills
- Good organizational skills
- The ability to manage a budget
- Excellent team working and people skills
- Electrical or electronics engineering
- Building services engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Applied physics
- Aeronautical engineering
- Mechatronics.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Principal Responsibilities/Duties:
• Interpret safety standards and apply the requirements to products under investigation.
• Create and implement test procedures.
• Conduct tests in accordance with standards and procedures, record results.
• Prepare certification reports and related documents.
• Provide technical oversight to product safety engineers and technicians
• Review work prepared by other staff engineers
• The ideal candidate will be familiar with the process of product safety certification, evaluation and testing.
Electrical engineering graduates are typically accepted into the following industries. However, different employers will have different requirements, so do check out companies individually.
- Aerospace industry
- Automotive industry
- Construction industry
- Defense industry
- Electronics industry
- Fast moving consumer goods industry
- Marine industry
- Oil and gas industry
- Pharmaceuticals industry
- Power generation industry
- Rail industry
- Telecoms
- Utilities industry
Earnings
Electrical engineers starting out can earn between £21,000 and £25,000 a year.
Experienced engineers can earn between £25,000 and £40,000. Chartered engineers can earn £45,000 or more.
Recruiting Companies
Top employers in the field include:
- Alcatel Lucent
- AMD
- Analog Devices
- Apple
- GLOBALFOUNDRIES
- Hewlett Packard
- Intel
- Philips
- Samsung
- Texas Instruments.
How do I get there?
Option 1:
Entry is possible without a third level qualification which means jobs are open to graduates from all disciplines, but relevant qualifications are becoming increasingly more in demand by employers. In addition, most employers ask for some previous experience within the Electrical Engineering.
To be a Electronics engineer you should have:
- Electrical or electronics engineering
- Building services engineering
- Mechanical engineering
- Applied physics
- Aeronautical engineering
- Mechatronics.
Postgraduate study
ME in Electrical Engineering.
Specific entry requirements
Previous relevant work experience is often a requirement.
Pathway Courses
Where to study?
- Alagappa College of Technology Campus
- Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
- Andrews University
- Auckland University of Technology
- Brigham Young University
- Clemson University
- COLLEGE OF DUNAÚJVÁROS
- College of Engineering Guindy Campus
- College of New Caledonia
- Colorado School of Mines
- Colorado State University
- Czestochowa University of Technology
- ECAM Lyon
- FH Wismar
- Fontys University of Applied Sciences
- George Mason University
- Glasgow Caledonian University
- Gonzaga University
- Grand Valley State University
- Grenoble Institute of Technology
- Hanze University
- Hanze University of Applied Sciences
- Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning
- Häme University of Applied Sciences(HAMK)
- Imperial College London
- Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto / SUPERIOR INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING OF PORTO
- Istanbul Ayvansaray Üniversitesi
- IUBH university of applied Sciences
- Kaunas University of Technology
- Klaipeda University
- Lakhead University
- Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies
- Manchester University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Memorial University of Newfoundland
- Mohawk College
- MYKOLAS ROMERIS UNIVERSITY
- National Institute of Applied Sciences of Toulouse
- Northern Arizona University
- Northumbria University
- Plymouth University International College
- Poznan University of Technology
- Prathyusha Institute of Technology and Management
- Purdue University
- Ryerson University
- Sacred heart university
- San Diego State University
- Saxion University of Applied Sciences
- School of architecture and planning
- Siauliai University
- Southern Institute of technology
- St Lawrence College
- Swansea University
- Tallinn University of Technology
- Technical University of Liberec
- The University of Nottingham
- The University of Texas
- University of Bath
- University of Birmingham
- University Of Bridgeport
- University of Central Lancashire
- UNIVERSITY OF DEBRECEN
- University of Dubrovnik
- University of Essex
- University of Fraser Valley
- University of Frazer valley
- University of Hertfordshire
- University of Iowa
- University of Kent
- University of Kentucky
- University of Lincoln
- University of Ljubljana
- University of Michigan
- University of North Dakota
- University of Oslo
- University of Otago
- University of Portsmouth
- University of Rhode Island
- University of Rochester
- University of Silesia
- University of South Wales
- University of Split
- University of Technology Sydney
- University of the West Indies
- University of Twente
- University of Warwick
- Ventspils University College
- Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
- VILNIUS UNIVERSITY
- WARSAW UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
- Washington State University
- Waterford Institute Of Technology
- Wentworth Institute of Technology
- York University