whats it like for Electrical engineers at work?

Question

im an EE major, and i have no idea of the types of work enviroments i might be in... what the general format is, how much of a pain in the *** (compared to learning calculus 3 for example) ... most of all i want to know what kinds of daily things i will do.. and what methods are used... will i be on a computer all day? etc etc... whatever info u got. thanks

Answer 1

You can find all kinds of work environments. Simulating things on a computer all day. Testing things in a lab all day. Conceptual design or detailed design. Solving problems at the customer's site (Alaska in winter or SoCal at the ocean in summer). Solving problems in your own company's mfg line. Helping to sell your products to other companies. Helping define standards that will be used industry-wide. Testifying in court cases. Analyzing patent applications. Supervise other engineers.

Try as many as you can to find out which ones you'd really like to do for a long time...

Some of the cool things you'll do:

See something you drew up get built.
Get something you designed to work the way you thought it should.
Get something you designed to work the way the boss thought it should.
Get something you designed to work the way the customer thought it should. (yes, they are all different!)
Get something that your team designed to work the way the customer thought it should and now they are going to pay your company for it.
Point to something and tell your friends that you helped design it.
Have something you designed get used by someone else and you know it helped them, even if they never heard of you.
Have other engineers start asking you questions because they know you're the expert -- and you really are.
Come up with a real cool solution that makes the customer's mouth drop open (because they know "it can't be done") during a design review presentation.
Document something well enough that the Production people don't call you.

Not so cool things:

Get laid off along with the rest of your coworkers -- usually just after buying a new car or house.
Spend a long time at the customer's site during your least favorite season to be there.
Put in 60 (80? 100?) hours and end up more behind than when you started the week.
Have your boss take credit for your work.
Have your boss's boss take credit for your work.
Have someone you've never heard of in your corporation from another city take credit for your work.
Have the customer ask your boss WTF when they see your design review presentation.
Spend weeks answering Production questions while you're trying to get started on your new project.

Just remember, they pay you because it's not always fun -- that's why it's called work!

Also, remember that engineers don't actually build things -- they create documents that let others build things. Our outputs are the documents, so you want those to reflect your skills, abilities, and professionalism. Yes, the products have to work, but they will always be built to the documents you create. Sometimes it takes a while to "get religion" in this area, but the first time you're 2000 miles from home, using other engineers' documentation, and you aren't leaving until the customer is happy, will be the last time you put less information, instead of more information, in a document. You'll curse their lack of documentation and resolve that you won't do that with yours (ever again). If you're really unlucky, one of those poor documents will be yours from 6 months before, so you'll have to reconstruct what you were trying to do while the customer and your boss wonder why since you created it in the first place! Definitely something to try to avoid if you want to have engineering as a long career.

Answer 2

It is dumb to ask such question. If you don't have a vision for what you are doing why are you in it in the first place. Work always forms around what you are confident enough to do. Confidence ofcourse happen from your vision about what you intent to achieve. So there I said it all get into what you enjoy most and things are bound to work out. If you are a goal seeker seems so from your questions then try to find out something interesting, meaningful and creative in EE what you are doing and continue your work in it for a start.

Answer 3

Read Dilbert. It's pretty darn close to reality.
Watch The Office. It's close, too.
But the most hard hitting piece of investigative journalism/ documentary about engineering was Office Space.