It seems that we are all totally reliant on technology these days – we use these handheld devices to get us up in the morning, buy our tickets for the daily commute and check our wages have been paid into our bank accounts.
When we get to the office we use our electronic badge to get in, turn on our computer, and work with a team of people, either in the same office or practically anywhere worldwide, to do our jobs.
All of those devices that made this possible, whether it be your phone, laptop, tablet, or whatever you happen to be reading this on, were designed by an electrical engineer
What is an electrical engineer?
It’s not just digital tech though, An electrical engineer is responsible for developing and designing all sorts of electrical equipment, will usually oversee the testing of that device, and sometimes even manages the production of the initial batch that will end up with the customer.
As you can see, it’s quite a broad job description and in many ways it uses project management skills as much as technical ones. Electrical engineer roles can also be client-facing as they are often involved in client meetings, from initial spec right up until project completion.
What electrical engineers do?
However, if you don’t know what optocouplers or dip switches are, it might be worth going into a little more detail. Electrical engineers design everything electronic, which will include electric motors in the latest cutting-edge cars, and every little gadget on the dashboard to the phone the driver uses to Google the location of the nearest charging point.
As you can imagine, this means you have electronic engineers in pretty much any industry you can think of, and those with good communication and project management skills as well as their electronics and computer skills are in demand for the top jobs in some of the world’s largest corporations.
Where would you find electrical engineers?
Power systems and renewable energy
Many electrical engineers are employed by the energy industry, to design and development of many of the electrical power systems around the world. In the 21st century, a proportion of those will be in the field of renewable energy, and this is arguably the biggest growth field for electrical engineers, even greater than consumer technology.
Consumer technology
However, we most associate electrical engineers with the design of our laptops, cellphones, and all of the other gadgets we use every day. As this technology is developing constantly, the demand for innovation in design and using that technology also provides a lot of employment for electrical engineers.
Final thoughts
It could be argued that electrical engineer is one of the most valuable jobs in modern society. After all, pretty much everything we do is reliant on electricity from its production to powering the phones that are owned by 96% of Americans.
They are also responsible for putting the innovations of the technological world into real products that are constantly evolving.
