Engineering is a field that involves a wide variety of specialties. Electrical engineering is one branch in this field. Electrical engineers, like the name applies, work on almost all high voltage electrical equipment that are used everyday. For example, they work on the lighting in buildings and the wiring everything together. They also may work on power generators and in manufacturing firms for their equipment. Electrical engineer’s main goal is to maintain, improve and develop better electrical technology that are relied on everyday. They also can work in a variety of settings. Such as offices, labs, industrial plants and on the job locations.
To become an electrical engineer the minimum requirement is to get a Bachelor of Science degree in the electrical engineering field from an accredited school. A variety of colleges offer degrees in electrical engineering, such as, Washington State University, University of Washington, Western Washington University and several more in Washington. The cost of getting the degree vary depending on what school you attend. For example, Washington State University and Western Washington University both cost around $23,000 annually, while University of Washinton costs about $27,000 annually. Admittance to these schools is the same process as any other college. There is an application to be filled out and sent to the college by the deadline that the college sets. The college reviews each applicant to determine who to invite to attend. Once a candidate has been selected, they enroll and begin to work on their selected program. Each program has specific classes to take to meet the degree requirements.
Part of becoming an engineer is taking multiple semesters of physics and higher levels of math such as calculus. Also, students must take the same basic English, history and social science classes that the college requires. After the required classes for the degree are completed the remaining credits will be used to fulfill the specialization for electrical engineering. Specific programs vary by university; but the most common path to become an electrical engineer is to take courses in circuits and electromagnetics. Classes about circuits cover “the basics of circuit behavior in direct and alternating current contexts, and the mathematical representation of circuits and the theory and methodology of circuit analysis.”(www.learnhowtobecome.org) Another course is electromagnetics, this class explains “properties of electromagnetic waves, such as their frequency, phase velocity and attenuation.” (www.learnhowtobecome.org) These courses are examples of what electrical engineers could take while undergoing their degree. Each course is designed to provide an in depth study of key knowledge for the field of electrical engineering.
Many people get confused between an electrical engineer and an electronic engineer. In fact, most colleges group the two together. They are very similar in the sense that they both work with electricity. The big difference is the careers focus. Electrical engineers work more on large-scale production and the distribution of electricity. They may also deal with the delivery of power to a particular site or piece of equipment. In contrast, electronic engineers generally are involved with the use of electric circuitry found in computers and other modern technologies. This career field works on the small scale of electricity. To get a degree in electronic engineering is similar to getting a degree in electrical engineering. Electronic engineering is basically a subspecialization of electrical engineering. It is easy to see the confusion between the two degrees. Most modern technologies involve both electrical and electronic components.
Another career that is similar to electrical engineering is computer engineering. Computer engineers make current devices we use for work and entertainment more efficient, smaller, safer and cheaper. They also develop systems to help protect the internet from viruses so that day to day use of the internet is not interrupted. Becoming a computer engineer involves taking courses in electrical engineering along with additional courses that deal with computer programming. Again, like electronic engineering it is a subspecialization of electrical engineering.
Finally, one more subspecialty career of electrical engineering is biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineers design and analyze solutions to medical problems. Their goal is to improve the quality and effectiveness of the patient’s care. Biomedical engineers take courses in biology and chemistry along with some courses of electrical engineering requirements.
The salary for an electrical engineer is dependant on a variety of factors. The main factors include on the location, the company, and years of experience in the field. The median amount for an electrical engineer is about $80,000, ranging from $50,000 on the low end to $136,000 on the high end.
The above graph is a comparison of electrical engineering pay with the pay of other engineering careers. In comparison to the other degrees electrical engineering is about medium in pay. The salary for biomedical engineering is surprisingly low for the career in the medical field. Computer engineering was definitely in the lead for the highest pay throughout the percentiles. A person with several years experience in this field could make up to about $150,000, which makes sense given that technology is rapidly expanding creating a high demand for good computer engineers. In contrast, mechanical engineers are paid the lowest out of the five, which fits as it is not an up-in-coming field any longer.
Percentage of Growth (2012-2022)
In the above graph, electrical engineering has about a 7% job growth prediction from 2012-2022, which is slower than average growth. The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the slow increase is due to manufacturing firms doing poorly. These companies are unable to afford to hire multiple electrical engineers. The Bureau of Labor Statistics also predict that later on there will be a high demand for electrical engineers and computer engineers because of a rapid need of new technological innovations and developments in the future. Biomedical engineering is another subfield that is becoming more in demand due to the general population aging and living longer, these will need technology to improve their lives.
Electrical engineering is a huge field that is used in a lot of different engineering careers. Electrical engineering is newer compared to the other engineering fields but has a big future ahead in the world of technology that is today. By getting a degree in electrical engineering there are many possibilities open. The pay is medium compared to the other fields but there will always be jobs in this field open.
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