electrical engineer?

Question

This is a question for the ppl who are electric engineer, what is it like to be an electric engineer (is it boring is it fun..etc)
and how much money you make being an electric engineer(USA). also what math classes would you recommend taking in college

Answer 1

Very similar experience here. I got into electronics as a kid, then became an experimental physicists. With the right practical background physicists can do most of what EEs do. Pay range: I would say close to six figures or slightly above with 10 years of experience or more should be manageable, depending on where you live. If you get into the right startup at the right time or become your own boss, you can make much more. If money is your goal, of course.

Being a EE... depends what you are doing. Design engineers are probably exposed to the most "creative" work, and even that can at times be very boring and repetitive (think printed circuit board layout or embedded system coding). Sometimes it is a lot of fun, e.g. when you can explore new circuit topologies or you are given a chance to work on something really important like a science experiment, on satellites etc.. You will usually be given plenty of chances to work hard and long hours. And deadlines, some sane, some not so much.

I would definitely suggest to make math and theory a strong platform while you can, which means, while you are still in school. You will be able to make good use of it and it is much harder to learn theory thoroughly on the fly than in the classroom.

Think about EE as a profession that can take you anywhere... it can lead you to selling components at a distributor (not advisable) or take you to explore the planets with the next high-res camera on a space probe. You might ride the true AI wave and build the first intelligent machines. You might design yet another cell phone... or you might invent the solar cells that will make mankind independent of fossil fuels. It is probably up to you to change the direction in which you will go.

I got one piece of advice that is pretty universal for all of science and engineering: get into the lab OR the theory department as soon as you can. The latter is probably much harder than the former unless you are exceptionally gifted. The more and the sooner you get exposure to real research and real hardware, the more you will learn and the bolder you will get in your ideas.

We need bold ideas. From the EE department as much as from any other.

Good Luck!

Answer 2

well i'm a fresh grad and I recently landed a job. I believe however it depends on what specific field of electrical engineering you want to be in. Automotive electrical, telecom, medical, etc.. it's important to specialize in what you find interesting and to stand OUT! Get some experience or co-op if you become more serious about being an engineer

Since you don't have experience like most other recent grads outthere, the job market will seem very diffcult in the beginning as there are a lot of unemployed engineers looking for whatever they can get. and starting wise you don't make much until you have experience. That's why you should find something more specific and learn more about that particular field, else you might find it boring just finding whatever is out there.

I'm a research and development engineer at a hospital. I really like that all my projects so far, as there are different everytime. so you can be creative in the way you design things.. i work with my hands, planning things out and not always calculating things or on the computer all day. i make average wage starting for new grad. look that up online..

yes you need alot of calculus and other math courses. i recommend as much as you can in highschool just to prepare. I also know that alot of engineers later on do their business MBA as they sometimes aren't happy with money, or don't like the type of work they are in.
Good luck!

Answer 3

I'm like Warren. I had a soldering iron in my hand when I was in the 4th grade (I guess I was in Cub Scouts, too). I love to design circuits. Right now I get to design circuits for stuff that flies in space. But, there is also the other side to engineering that must be done -- analysis and reports. That can get tedious (boring), but it's all part of the job.

I almost make 6 figures (maybe in 2 more years) and work for a large international aerospace company.

When you get to college, there will be a well defined set of math classes you must complete in your first 2 years: calculus, vector calculus, differential equations, linear algebra. Plus, most engineering classes are really applied math, anyway.

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Answer 4

I love being an EE. I have wanted to since I was a Cub Scout and built the one-tube and two-tube radios!

I make six figures, but I have my own business (www.fourward.com).

Math? You need at least through trig before you get to college. You don't have any choice in college. You have to have all three semesters of Calculus, plus differential equations.