Masters in Power Electronics/Electric Machinery

[2muchHW]

I've been working in a cubicle farm for the last year and a half, and think that I might die of boredom soon. I'm looking for something that allows a bit of hands on work, and that has more depth than drafting and component selection.

I'm thinking that getting a masters degree might help me land a more interesting job, and have been looking at the online power electronics/electric machinery degree at UW Madison. So if there is anybody here familiar with the industry, these questions are for you.

Has there been decent growth in this field? Motors and drives have been around for a long time, and I do not want to be stuck in an industry where innovation is slow.

Also, are there opportunities for an entrepreneur with this skill set? I would like to keep the option open to work for myself someday, but am concerned that in this industry I would be up against the likes of GE and Siemens and have no chance.

Also I have a BSEE if anyone is wondering where I am coming from.

[JakeBrodskyPE]

Hell yeah! Industry needs people who understand drives. The market is anything but static. And no, you don't have to work for GE or Siemens. You could also work for a utility or for a consulting firm.

The problem is that the field people often do not understand the full ramifications of the controls they have on a drive system. This becomes a big deal as the drives get larger and work on higher voltages (such as 4160). If you think you'd enjoy this, there are many control engineering firms who would love to hire you.

My degree, by the way, is also EE. My PE, however, is in Control Engineering. That ought to tell you where I've been and where my biases lie...