What do electrical engineers actually do in the workforce?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around the experiences and concerns of a college student majoring in electrical engineering, particularly regarding job prospects and daily responsibilities in the field. Participants express uncertainty about the typical roles of electrical engineers, with questions about whether they primarily work in offices solving circuit problems or engage in design work. Concerns are raised about job listings requiring extensive experience, making recent graduates feel unprepared. It is noted that a significant percentage of engineers (70%) may end up in non-engineering careers, which raises questions about the relevance of their degrees. Some participants mention that engineering graduates are sought after in various fields, including finance, but there is skepticism about the statistics regarding engineers in non-engineering roles. The conversation highlights the diverse sub-fields within electrical engineering and the varying paths graduates may take.
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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