Spotlight on the electrical engineer
Marie Donlon | September 17, 2019
Each month Engineering360 takes a look at a profession under the engineering umbrella. This month, the Engineering360 spotlight will shine on the electrical engineer.
Who are they?
In short, electrical engineers design and develop electrical systems. They also troubleshoot and test equipment, all while applying the mathematics and physics of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism to systems of all sizes, for the purpose of processing information and transmitting energy.
Though often used interchangeably with electronics, electrical engineers differ from electronics engineers in terms of focus. Electrical engineers tend to focus on entire electrical systems or power generation, distribution and use, while electronics engineers tend to concentrate on components such as phones, PCs, circuits, resistors, inductors, capacitors, transistors, diodes and semiconductors.
What do they do?
Electrical engineers, like their other engineering counterparts, are not limited to just a handful of tasks. Instead, they can be found engaged in all manner of electrical-related tasks, including household appliance design, building lighting and wiring and developing telecommunication systems, satellite communications and power stations, for example. And that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Where do they work?
Electrical engineers can be found in any industry where electrical systems are in use, including renewable energy, telecommunications, healthcare, robotics, manufacturing, food and beverage, and aerospace.
For instance, in the robotics industry, electrical engineers might develop, design and maintain the sensors, actuators, microprocessors and feedback control systems built into robots. In the aerospace industry, electrical engineers might be responsible for developing, designing and maintaining deep space communications and power generation and storage. Likewise, in the healthcare industry, electrical engineers are generally responsible for the design, development and maintenance of critical communication systems.
How do they do it?
Electrical engineers typically earn a four-year degree in electrical engineering from an accredited school, completing coursework in subjects such as math, science, technology, physics, computing and computer programming, as well as courses on electricity, electrical engineering and electrical components. While electrical engineers are generally required to earn their bachelor’s degree, although a master's or a Ph.D. may open more opportunities.
Where do they earn their degrees?
The following are the ten best universities for earning an electrical engineering degree, according to the website TopUniversities.com. Results are based on data from the 2018 QS World University Rankings, which evaluate universities on factors such as academic and employer reputation and research impact.
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
- Stanford University
- University of California, Berkeley (UCB)
- Harvard University
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
- California Institute of Technology (Caltech)
- Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech)
- Carnegie Mellon University
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- University of Texas at Austin
What do they earn?
The median annual wage for electrical engineers was $99,070 in May 2018. That amounts to roughly $47.63 an hour.
Where can they be found?
Once they have earned their chosen degree (e.g., Ph.D, master’s, bachelor’s), electrical engineers are encouraged to become licensed. Although not required, licensing will likely set the electrical engineer apart from unlicensed counterparts, making them more competitive on the job market.
Another advantage that might set some electrical engineers apart is becoming a member of a professional electrical engineering society.
- IEEE (Institution of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
- IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology)
- SPIE (International Society for Optics and Photonics)
- ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)
- AES (Audio Engineering Society)
- EPRI (Electric Power Research Institute)
Job outlook
According to the latest stats from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth in electrical engineering is poised to grow just 2% from 2018 to 2028, which is reportedly slower than the average for all occupations. This tempered growth is likely due to a decline in most manufacturing industries and in telecommunications.
Electrical engineers in the news
A team of electrical engineers from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) in Saudi Arabia, the University of Buffalo and the University of Wisconsin-Madison devised a new passive cooling system that does not use electricity.
The new system is composed of a polymer-aluminum film installed inside a box at the bottom of a "solar shelter." The film absorbs ambient heat inside the box. The energy is then released as thermal radiation back into Earth's atmosphere. This keeps the polymer film and surrounding area cooler than without the solar shelter.
A good 'research' college may not be the best place to get your undergraduate degree. (If you're looking for an education versus a pretty name on a diploma.)
While I am very proud of my EE degree (Ga Tech) I would not recommend it to a young person. As the statistic shows, the growth rate and salary is low especially when compared to how difficult it is to achieve a Bachelors degree. This was not the case in the beginning but over time people with finance and accounting degrees realized much larger upside opportunity relative to pay.
I realized this at a early stage in my career and went toward an MBA to add some diversity to my skills. That worked out for me because I now am a Sales and Product Development manager for a High Tech component manufacturer. It is my belief that the marketing and sales exposure rounded out my skills but just having the EE would not have allowed me to grow.
I do acknowledge this: Some will say money is not everything (and that is true) and some people were cut out to be engineers and this is true also.