Is a Career in Electrical Engineering Right for You?

Electrical engineering is a career field that has a limitless number of opportunities to choose from thanks to the fact that there are several different areas of specializations and sub-disciplines offered. With so many career opportunities to consider, it’s no surprise that thousands of students decide to study it each year. Electrical engineering is a field that is very challenging, diverse, and rewarding. But is it the right field for you?

What is Electrical Engineering?

At first glance, electrical engineering can be quite a complicated field to grasp, especially if you have recently graduated high school and are looking for a college that offers an electrical engineering program. Engineering is about much more than learning about the different types of power transistors and fixing faulty machinery – you will quickly learn that it’s all about the art of solving various problems. Electrical engineering refers to the study of electrical devices, circuits, and systems. This could include machinery controls, computers, cars, and anything else that you can think of that uses electricity. Electrical engineers design and implement electrical components such as conductors and circuit breakers, along with carrying out inspections of existing electrical systems. This job comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

Different Electrical Engineering Disciplines to Consider

While electrical engineering may seem like a more specialist engineering field, there are several disciplines to consider. These narrower fields are known as concentrations, and there are lots of different topics that you might decide to study based on your interests or skills. These include topics such as computer architecture, computer engineer, microprocessor design, digital systems, electromagnetic fields, signal processing, photonics, integrated circuits, integrated nanotechnology, robotics, mechatronics, solid-state devices, control systems and more.

How to Become an Electrical Engineer

Electrical engineering is a very broad field that offers a wide range of diverse career opportunities in various areas including robotics, consumer electronics, automotive mechanics and more. To work in this field, you will usually be required to hold at least an associate’s degree, with many positions requiring a bachelor’s degree. To be successful in the field, you will also need to have a wide range of both technical and soft skills, which you can develop while studying. You will need to competent when it comes to computer, electronics, mathematics, applied sciences, physics, computer science and design, along with having good analytical skills and leadership skills. If you are skilled in these areas or are interested in them and willing to learn more, then it might be a good idea to enrol in an electrical engineering degree program. Many colleges and universities offer programs at all levels, and you can find both traditional and online electrical engineering degrees available to take, which has made it easier for people to get into this field. Along with this, since it is such a broad discipline, there is nothing stopping you from overlapping with other interesting engineering fields like aerospace engineering in the future.

If you are interested in electronics and electrical systems, a good problem-solver and skilled with math and science, electrical engineering might be the right career for you.