Electrical Engineering Industry Overview

‍Fellow presentation and intro to your career path

I’m Sanket Shah, originally from India and now living in the U.S. due to my job. Electrical engineering is at the forefront of developing new technologies for several industries including transport, healthcare, construction, and robotics. It’s an exciting time to be an engineer. With the rapid expansion of the technology sector, the demand for those who can create, understand, and alter electrical control systems has risen. A career in this subject could see you supporting society with its electrical needs and getting paid a decent wage for doing so. Electrical and electronic engineers create and improve systems to benefit society. Electrical engineers are required all over the world. Search through courses and you’ll discover several Electrical & Electronic Engineering courses that have opportunities to study abroad. If spending time studying or working overseas appeals to you, then perhaps this subject area is right for you.

The first step you can take toward becoming an electrical engineer is to obtain a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from an institution that is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, or ABET.

Some electrical engineering programs operate through a separate school of engineering and require students to apply for entrance to the engineering school in addition to the college or university. Students have the option of pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering with a concentration in electrical engineering or a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. 

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Electrical Engineering career options 

• Electronic Engineer
  ‍Deals with electronic circuits such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors, and diodes.
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• Microelectronics Engineer
  ‍Works with design and micro-fabrication of tiny electronic circuit components.
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• Signal Processing Engineer
  ‍Focuses on signals, such as analog or digital signals.
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• Power Engineer
  ‍Deals with electricity and the design of related electrical devices such as transformers, generators, motors, and power electronics.
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• Controls Engineer
  ‍Directs the design of controllers that cause systems to behave in a certain way, using micro-controllers, programmable logic controllers, digital signal processors, and electrical circuits.
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• Telecommunications Engineer
  ‍Focuses on the transmission of information via a cable or optical fiber.
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• Instrumentation Engineer
  ‍Deals with the design of measuring devices for pressure, flow, and temperature; this involves a deep understanding of physics.
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• Computer Engineer
  ‍Specializes in the design of computers and computer hardware.‍

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Main hard skills you use on daily basis in your current job

• Basic circuit knowledge
  ‍Electrical design can become a very complex topic, especially where large installations are concerned (such as energy grids) or even within highly advanced pieces of small hardware (such as those used in smartphones). Therefore, if you’re to have any hopes of getting to grips with it all, you need to first have a solid understanding of basic circuit design.
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• Electronic troubleshooting
  ‍Electronic troubleshooting involves fault establishment, location and correction through the use of measuring and diagnostic equipment. The level of difficulty can vary depending on which device you will need to work with and repair; in some cases, you might need to test each device component individually to make sure that everything works properly.
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• Programming
  ‍Although the importance of coding is higher in some areas of electrical engineering than in others, it’s still a very useful skill to possess, particularly when working with low-level embedded systems or when analyzing data. ‍

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Soft skills you use on daily basis in your current job

• Problem-solving
  Regardless of their discipline, engineers are, at their core, problem solvers. This is particularly true in electrical engineering, where you are often required to think logically and apply a particular rule or concept to a problem in order to solve it.
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• ‍Critical thinking
  ‍Critical thinking is a broad skill that can be applied to a wide array of situations, but it’s just as important in electrical engineering. Possessing the ability to approach things differently or take a different view from the norm can make a big difference when you’re trying to achieve a certain goal with your project.
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• Communication
  ‍Whether it’s understanding the needs and requirements of a client, working within project teams to develop or improve a piece of hardware, or working with other departments and stakeholders, communication skills are an essential part of the role.
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• Organization
  ‍The ability to organize and manage your time is important for an electrical engineer, as much of your work will likely be time-sensitive or project-based, regardless of which area of engineering you specialize in.
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• ‍Creative thinking
  ‍Engineers are not just problem-solvers — they are also pioneers. Whether it’s on a grand scale or a simple one, the solutions they provide change the way we live; therefore, to be able to explore and implement such radical ideas, you need to be able to think outside the box.

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