What do electrical engineers actually do in the workforce?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the career paths and daily responsibilities of electrical engineers in the workforce. Participants explore various aspects of the profession, including job roles, the relevance of educational background, and the prevalence of engineers in non-engineering careers.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses concern about the types of jobs available for electrical engineers and questions whether they primarily work in offices solving circuits or designing them.
  • Another participant notes that the major or planned major can significantly affect job knowledge and opportunities.
  • Statistics are mentioned indicating that 70% of engineers end up in non-engineering careers, which some participants find surprising or hard to believe.
  • There is a suggestion that engineers with a Master's degree may have different job responsibilities compared to those with only a Bachelor's degree.
  • Several participants discuss the various sub-fields within electrical engineering, such as communications and microelectronics, and their relevance to everyday life.
  • One participant requests a source for the statistic regarding engineers in non-engineering fields, indicating skepticism about its accuracy.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the career trajectories of electrical engineers, particularly regarding the statistic about engineers in non-engineering roles. There is no consensus on the accuracy of this statistic or its implications for the profession.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the implications of their educational background on job prospects and responsibilities, highlighting a potential gap in understanding the job market for electrical engineers.

mathrocks
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I'm currently in my third year of college majoring in electrical engineering. I'm just now starting to worry about the different kind of jobs that are available out there. I was hoping some electrical engineers can describe their typical days at work. I just have no clue to what exactly a electrical engineer does? Do they just sit in an office solving circuits? Do they design circuits? I've been looking at jobs listings online and everything I've seen said you need 5-6 years of experience and the description of the job looked totally foreign to me. What do average recent graduates with a bachelor's degree do?

Thanks!
 
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What's your major or planned major. That can matter a lot if you plan to be knowledgeable in your job. Oh, but do keep in mind that 70% of engineers end up in non-engineering careers (statistics from my school's career center). Deutche Bank had a career talk at my school a couple weeks ago and I asked them. They said they love hiring engineer graduates ;)
 
The engineers and engineers-to-be that I've talked to have told me that most engineers become paper pushers. :(

But, I don't know if that's only for those with B.S. degrees. Maybe with a Master's you can do something closer to what you actually studied.

PL
 
mezarashi said:
What's your major or planned major. That can matter a lot if you plan to be knowledgeable in your job. Oh, but do keep in mind that 70% of engineers end up in non-engineering careers (statistics from my school's career center). Deutche Bank had a career talk at my school a couple weeks ago and I asked them. They said they love hiring engineer graduates ;)

I'm currently majoring in Electrical engineering as I stated above...
 
mathrocks said:
I'm currently majoring in Electrical engineering as I stated above...

Sorry. That didn't really sound like a major to me. For example I'm in the School of Electronic Engineering, Microelectronics division with Photonics as my major.
 
Electrical engineering has many sub-fields (communications, microelectronics, dsp, etc.); everything around us is related to electrical engineering. 70% of engineers end up in non-engineering filelds, I have to see to believe :).
 
exequor said:
Electrical engineering has many sub-fields (communications, microelectronics, dsp, etc.); everything around us is related to electrical engineering. 70% of engineers end up in non-engineering filelds, I have to see to believe :).

Yeah... I definitely don't believe that either. I'd love to see a source if possible.
 

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