Why Should You Major As an Electrical Engineer in School?A career as an electrical engineer can be very rewarding indeed. Electrical engineers provide a valuable service to society because they focus on the supply and generation of power. This is important, because without power, society would not have what it needs to keep functioning. Think for a moment about all of the things we use based on electrical power in our daily lives. None of these things would be possible without the services of electrical engineers.
Whether or not you major in electrical engineering is up to you. Again, it is a very rewarding career to have, but it's not for everyone. To become an electrical engineer, you'll first need to get your bachelor's degree in engineering. In many cases, you can work in your college's work-study program and receive on-the-job training at the same time while you're still in electrical engineer school.
Education continues
In addition, electrical engineers have to keep going to school even after they've graduated and have gotten their degrees. This is because there are always changes going on in the field, and engineers continually have to study and keep up with new technologies and techniques as they develop.
Licensing
Some electrical engineers also need to be licensed by the state they work for, depending on where they work. Specifically, if they work in areas that are going to affect citizens' health, life, or property, or if they offer their services to the public, they'll need to be licensed by their particular state. Before licensing can occur, they must have the requisite degree from an engineering school and at least four years of work experience as an engineer. After that, they can take the state examination, and if they pass, they become licensed as professional engineers.
So you see, education for electrical engineers doesn't just stop with your bachelor's degree. Nonetheless, it's a very lucrative career to have as long as you're up to the task of doing the job and keeping up with the changes that occur in the field.
Getting a job as an electrical engineer once you finish school.
Once you graduate from electrical engineer school, the placement office at your college might be able to help you find a job as an electrical engineer. If you have been enrolled in a work-study program during your college education, the employer you worked for during your work-study days may want to hire you full-time after you graduate. In addition, there are many government and private jobs to be had as an electrical engineer. To find these jobs, look on the Internet at job sites, in newspapers for classified ads, and in professional journals, which also run ads for these types of positions. If you decide you want to work for the government, you may also need to pass a civil service examination before you can be hired.
Now, that sounds like a lot of schooling and additional work to become an electrical engineer, doesn't it? However, it's a good career to have if you're interested in and qualified for it. As you continue in your career, you can earn ever-higher salaries and may even become managers for other electrical engineers as you work on various projects. In addition, as you continue in your career, you may specialize as you go so that your work becomes both deeper and more focused.
Finally, electrical engineers usually make pretty good money, too. In fact, if you've got a bachelor's degree, you can earn an average salary of about $50,000 a year. With a master's degree, that number jumps to about $65,000 year, and if you go on to earn your doctoral degree, you can earn as much as $75,000 on average.
So ask yourself the question: Is electrical engineer school for me? If you think the answer might be "yes," explore it further to see whether or not this might be the right path for you.
