Career: Electrical Engineers
Turn on a light. Turn on a computer. Turn on a TV. Rev your engine, if you have one. Do you wonder why it works? Do you ever take apart a new gadget when you get it? Or look at something and think, “Hey, I can make that do more”?
If you’re intrigued by the machines around you and the power that makes them run, you have a lot in common with electrical engineers.
Electrical engineers develop and oversee electrical systems and equipment. They work with everything from power grids to computers and telephones to cars.
Did You Know?
- To get robots to move in unique ways, engineers have sometimes turned to nature, modeling them on cockroaches, crickets, and other critters.
Are You Ready To...?
- See your ideas become reality
- Work as part of a team
- Present and defend your ideas to others
- Keep learning new skills and technology
- Work as a consultant
It Helps to Be...
A creative, logical, practical, and flexible team player.
Make High School Count
- Take auto shop or another shop class to get hands-on experience with machines and tools.
- Take English, as well as advanced math and science. You’ll have to explain your ideas in reports and presentations.
- Study computer science, a field with very close ties to electrical engineering.
- Sign up for computer-aided drafting and design.
- Get a summer job or internship at an engineering firm or electronics store.
Did You Know?
- Nikola Tesla, inventor of AC power, launched the age of robotics when he sailed a remote-controlled boat in 1898. The boat amazed and frightened the audience when it answered questions by flashing its lights.
Outlook
Government economists expect job growth for electrical engineers to be as fast as the average for all careers through 2014. Use of foreign engineering services will limit job growth. However, there should be enough job openings for graduating electrical engineering majors.
Compensation
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the average yearly earnings of electrical engineers as $78,900 in 2006. A 2005 survey by the National Association of Colleges and Employers showed the following starting salaries for graduating electrical engineering students:
- Bachelor's degree candidates: $51,888
- Master's degree candidates: $64,416
- Ph.D. candidates: $80,206
