Quick question on Electrical Engineers?

Question

k, im on my last yr in high school, and i am deciding on an electrical engineer. now my question is, is there a lot of physics involved? i check careercruising and it said that theres lots of math and science. also is it a safe and fun line to get into? lastly what is it that u do as an electrical engineer? o and one more...is the pay good.. lol thanks. best answer will get best answer

wow, thanks for all you help so far everyone. im not the best in phyiscs. last yr i got a 73. i understand phyiscs but it just gets confusing.

Answer 1

There is a lot of math involved. EE is really applied math. You'll study calculus, advanced calc., differential equations, and beyond.

You will most likely take 2 semesters of Physics at the sophomore level. If you coose a specific area of EE involving integrated circuit design (as in, going to work for Intel or other major chip manufacturer) then you would get some advanced solid-state physics classes in your senior year (these classes double in the Physics and EE majors).

As for fun, I am opinionated, because I think it has been fun designing circuits since I was in 4th grade. After 25 years, though, sometimes the other parts of the job (writing reports, doing analysis, etc.) can be a 'drag'.

Design EEs sit in offices or cubicals in front of a computer and use CAD programs to design circuits, analyze circuits, write code (for software and hardware), simulate circuits and code, and write reports. Design EEs also make it out to the 'lab' to test their designs once they have been constructed.

Depending on your specialty, you could get into power engineering, working for a power company in a power plant. You would work out calculations for sizing transformers, generators, switches, controls, and transmission lines. You would make sure that power was being transmitted efficiently.

You could become an instrumentation/control engineer, keeping factories running smoothly (designing control systems, writing control codes).

There are other specialties, but there isn't a lot of room in this answer box.

As for the pay, EEs generally make the most of any engineering discipline, and are among the highest paid for anyone with a 4-year college degree.

I'm not sure why you want to know about safety, sitting in an office most of the day is pretty safe. Even the power engineers rarely have to be climbing power poles -- they have the tranined technicians do that sort of thing.

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Answer 2

While electrical engineering does not involve a lot of physics, you will still have to take physics classes in college.

There is, indeed, a _lot_ of math.

>also is it a safe and fun line to get into?

This question bothers me. If you have not already been playing around with electrical and electronic things, what makes you think that you want to be an electrical engineer? Electrical engineering isn't something that you just decide to do. It's something that you _have_ to do. I was taking apart and putting together radios and TV sets when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I had built my own radio transmitter in 9th.

This is something that almost has to be in your blood. The math courses are used to weed out those who don't have the dedication to make it through. I'm not saying that you can't make it, but this isn't a job that you just decide to do one day. It takes a lot of commitment.

It does pay well, especially compared to flipping burgers. You'll probably make more as a lawyer or doctor, but those pursuits also require dedication.

What do I do? It turns out that I'm mostly a computer programmer now. I am part of a company that designs and builds inspection devices that look for corrosion in oil & gas wells and pipelines.

Answer 3

Yes, there's a lot of physics involved so as to understand electricity at an atomic level. I would specifically recommend Electronic Engineering, as opposed to Electrical, you get to see more of high-end mainstream technologies...but that's just my opinion. Depending on your area of interest, you can do a lot of things: telecommunications, software development, hardware design, robotics, network engineering...there are a lot of possibilities.

About the pay...if you're good, the pay is good.

Answer 4

Yes there is a lot of physics, trig, and calculus involved. It is one of the more difficult majors. If you still can, I would recommend that that you take an electronics or electricity course in high school to see what it is like (and a physics course couldn't hurt).

What do we do? Well, I'm actually a patent attorney who works for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, so you might want to ask someone else.

Answer 5

Electrical engineering is a broad term used to encompass a number of fields that have to do with generation and utilization of electrical energy. It used to be divided into "Heavy" and "Light" electrical engineering, with the former having to do with electrical power generation and transmission, while the latter deals with utilization of small currents such as in telecommunications, radio equipment, transistors and integrated circuits, computers etc. With regard to heavy electrical engineering, not much maths and physics may be encountered, but in light electrical engineering, you have to be prepared for that. Regarding remuneration, it all depends where you practise your profession. If you are from a developing country like me, you may be far better off with civil engineering where propects are generally better. But in the developed countries like the US, EU, Japan etc. you'll probably be better paid in this field. Good luck and hope you enjoy your course which I completed some 40 years ago. Things have since changed a lot, but I suppose for the better.

Answer 6

there is some physics involved - you have to understand the nature of electricity and how current flows - which is related to physics (and some chemistry) - I think it's fun - it's safe as long as you understand what to do and what NOT TO DO (and don't do the tings you are not supposed to do) - an electrical engineer designs things that use electricity - it can be computer components or cell phones or lots of other things - I personally help to design satellites systems and their components

Answer 7

electrical engineering involves math,electrical science