Career Tips for Electrical Engineers to Advance Their Careers
A career in electrical engineering offers numerous opportunities to work for top companies like Northrop Grumman, Honeywell, Lockheed Martin, and more. Electrical engineers also earn well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, an electrical engineer’s national average yearly wage is around $101,780 between 2021-2031 approx. 9,800 new job opportunities will open up for electrical engineers in the US.
If you’ve recently graduated from college with a degree in electrical engineering, you probably wonder what’s the best way to take your career to the next level.
This article will list the best career tips for electrical engineers to help them skyrocket their careers in electrical engineering.
Let’s get started.
3 of the Best Career Tips for Electrical Engineers
Following are the three best career tips for electrical engineers to progress in their profession:
- Register in a certificate program to gain specialized skills
- Establish contacts with experts in the industry
- Earn a PE license by passing the PE exam
1. Register In a Certificate Program to Gain Specialized Skills
Electrical engineers who want to advance in their electrical engineering career should enroll in certificate programs if they possess only general engineering knowledge and expertise.
These certification programs are available online and on-campus and help electrical engineers develop unique skills that top-paying employers seek.
Some electrical engineers may also be lucky enough to get an opportunity from their hiring managers to participate in specialization programs. The following are the most popular specializations to pursue as an electrical engineer:
- Communications and Signal Processing
- Electrophysics
- Microelectronics
- Power Systems
- Computer Engineering
- Controls
2. Establish Contacts with Experts in The Industry
Another career tip for electrical engineers to advance in their profession is to build relationships with experts in the industry. Engaging with other experts in your field can be beneficial in increasing your industrial knowledge and discovering numerous employment prospects.
There are a lot of approaches to getting active in the professional community and enhancing your status through networking. For instance, you can attend engineering exhibitions and meetings, participate in seminars and join alum clubs and engineering societies. In addition, sign up for newsletters and join discussion groups to exchange views and stay up to date with whatever is happening in your industry.
3. Earn A PE License by Passing the PE Exam
Imagine following the engineering career advice mentioned above but still not being able to call yourself an engineer officially. It feels like all your efforts and hard work have gone down the drain, right?
Earning a PE license helps you gain recognition as an engineer and sets you aside from the other candidates applying for the same position, landing your dream job and flourishing your career in electrical engineering!
Moreover, people are more likely to trust Professional Engineers with their work because they have more significant expertise, education, and grip over their tasks, resulting in more employment opportunities and benefits.
For example, the electrical engineer’s salary ranges from $85,000 to $140,000 annually with a PE license.
To obtain the PE license, you first have to take the eight-hour-long PE Electrical and Computer exam and pass it. The exam questions differ per state. However, they often assess understanding and knowledge of general engineering and magnetic and electrical field theory.
But to take the PE exam, you must pass the eight-hour-long FE Electrical and Computer Engineering exam and earn four years of experience under a licensed Professional Engineer.
After earning the relevant experience, you are eligible to take the PE exam and can earn your PE license.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1 - What is the potential career path for an electrical engineer?
An Electrical Engineer has various professional options; these include telecommunications, electronics, automation, transport, defense, biotechnology, manufacturing, mining, information technology, and consulting services.
2 - Can electrical engineers make 200K?
Yes, earning 200k per year as an Electrical Engineer is possible, but it also depends on your industry. For example, for those working in the mining or power sector, 200k per year is common, but for those in technology and software, the average annual salary is 103k with experience.
3 - Do electrical engineers find jobs easily?
Yes, the requirement for Electrical Engineers is increasing steadily. Therefore, companies are designing special packages and compensation streams to attract them.
Conclusion
A career in electrical engineering is rich in career opportunities, enabling employees to engage in important projects in many sectors. In addition, electrically powered devices, automobiles, and hardware will keep evolving and enhancing, thanks to the efforts of electrical engineers.
If you want to upgrade your skills for better job prospects, we can bet our bottom dollar that you can take your career to the next level by following the career tips for electrical engineers discussed in this article. If you want to know what you can do with an electrical engineering degree, consider reading this blog.
Licensed Professional Engineer in Texas (PE), Florida (PE) and Ontario (P. Eng) with consulting experience in design, commissioning and plant engineering for clients in Energy, Mining and Infrastructure.