Electrical and Electronics Engineer,s Careers

Electrical and electronics engineers may choose to specialize in various areas like power generation, transmission and distribution; communications; manufacture of electrical equipment etc or a one particular specialty within these area; foe e.g. industrial robot control systems or aviation electronics. These engineers are involved in designing new products, writing requirements for their performance, as well as developing maintenance schedules and charts. Testing equipment and machinery, solving operation problems, estimating time and cost of electrical and electronic products also come under their job.

In 2002, electrical and electronics engineers had around 292,000 jobs and constituted the largest branch of engineering. Most of these engineers were employed in professional, scientific, and technical services firms as well as government agencies. Manufacturers of computer and electronic equipment and machinery also employed these engineers. The remaining engineers were absorbed by firms which deal in wholesale trade, communications, and utilities.

Favorable employment opportunities are predicted for electrical and electronic engineers. Job opportunities which would result from retirement and transfers of existing electrical and electronic engineers are in proportion with the degree granted to these graduates and thus demand for these workers roughly equals their supply.

Although the employment opportunities for electrical and electronic engineers are predicted to grow through 2012, their growth rate is slower than the growth of other occupations. Even though there is a rise in demand for electrical and electronic products, (including advanced communication goods) defense-related electronic products, and consumer electronics equipment, competition from abroad and increased use of electronic and electrical engineering services in foreign countries, hinder domestic employment. The growth rate of employment opportunities are predicted to be highest in the service industries which provide electronic engineering expertise.

It is imperative that electrical and electronic engineers continue their education. Those who do not keep abreast of latest advances in technology are at the risk of either loosing jobs or loosing good promotion opportunities

The job duties and responsibilities of electronics engineer include:

• Researching, designing, developing and testing electronic products and components

• Designing electronic circuit, components and integrated systems

• Drawing plans and specifications for projects

• Taking care that the projects fulfill electrical safety regulations

• Designing test control apparatus and tools

• Handling the design of electrical devices

• Keeping abreast of the developments in the field of technology

• Writing technical reports

• Writing specifications of electronic products

• Developing user-friendly interfaces

To enter this field, you are required to have a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. A considerable experience in designing electronic systems is also necessary for this job. You may also require a combination of experience and training. There are a few colleges that provide training. Some colleges conduct work-study programs in which students can avail the opportunity of on-the-job training. If you want to do a job related to research or teaching you will need a Master’s degree. These engineers also need a license if their work influences the life and property of others or they provide services to public. Such types of engineers require degree from an engineering school, four years experience and passing grade on the state examination.

• Outstanding skills in math, science and technology and the field of IT

• Skills to develop and maintain budgets

• Aptitude to clearly explain the design ideas

• Ability to design electronic circuits

• Extra-ordinary communication skills

• Ability to maintain good working relations with the personnel

• Skills to analyze needs of electronic system

• Decision-making skills

• Ability to understand the electrical safety and health rules

You can find the job easily but extensive efforts will be required on your part. You will have to search internet, job ads on newspaper and read professional journals. You may also try your luck by applying to the private organizations and government agencies. Civil service examination will have to be passed to get a government job. Wherever you apply for the job, you will have to prepare a resume first and then apply for a job. You

can find a number of electronics engineer resumes on different sites for your help and guidance. After reading one or two resumes, you will be able to compose your own.

Electronic engineers can be promoted to managers and executives. Those who get extra training may be promoted to highest paid specialists. Experienced engineers can start their own engineering firm.

The salary of electronics engineers vary according to their experience.

In 2002, the median salaries received by electrical engineers were $68,180 annually. The middle 50 percent received salaries between $54,550 and $84,670 while the lowest 10 percent earned below $44,780. The highest 10 percent earned above $100,980. In 2002, the median annual earnings in the industries which employed the largest numbers of electrical engineers were:

• Scientific research and development services – $77,410

• Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing – $72,670

• Electric power generation, transmission, and distribution – $71,640

• Navigational, measuring, electro-medical, and control instruments manufacturing – $70,430

• Architectural, engineering, and related services – $66,980

In 2002, the median earnings of electronics engineers (except computer engineers) were $69,930 annually. The middle 50 percent received salaries between $55,930 and $85,980. The lowest 10 percent received salaries below $46,310, and the highest 10 percent earned above $103,860. In 2002, the median annual earnings in the industries which employed the largest numbers of electronics engineers were:

• Federal government – $78,830

• Architectural, engineering, and related services – $72,850

• Navigational, measuring, electro-medical, and control instruments manufacturing – $70,950

• Semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing – $70,800

• Wired telecommunications carriers – $62,670

In a 2003 slaary survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers, candidates with a bachelor’s degree in electrical/electronics and communications engineering earned starting salaries of $49,794 on an average in a year; those with a master’s degree earned around $64,556; and those with a Ph.D. received $74,283on an average.

Seasoned Engineers may earn even more.

As an Electronics Engineering Technology student, you will be able to develop a background in the areas of circuit analysis, interfacing and installation of electronic systems, communications systems, use of specialized equipment including oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, HART analyzers, and many other types of instrumentation. For example, in depth courses provide you with the capability of doing functional design and building up of circuits for sensor interfacing, communications over air, cable and fiber.

You will be prepared for a technical career in a wide variety of electronics, electrical, and related fields. You may find employment in areas related to automation engineering, computer electronics, telecommunications, power systems, general manufacturing, product design and testing, quality assurance, field engineering, prototype fabrication, process management, and customer service. You may be able to pursue the professional engineer license.

Choosing an Electronic Engineering Course

Electronics is fundamental to many of the things we take for granted today. Everything from mobile phones to aircraft and medical equipment relies on electronics, and it is difficult to think of any area of life that has not been affected by developments in electronics.

Technology, and particularly electronics, is developing at a more rapid pace than ever before. This makes the job of the Electronic Engineer both exciting and challenging, but it also means that there are great rewards for engineers, both in terms of remuneration and job satisfaction.

Today, engineering in general - and electronics in particular - is an international business. Most of the well-known companies in electronics operate not just in several countries, but across continents, and many smaller companies depend on international trade for their business. In order to compete in this situation, companies recruit engineers from around the world. To succeed, engineers need to have internationally recognised qualifications.

Qualifications themselves are only one of the benefits to be gained from study abroad. A successful career depends on who you know as well as what you know, and the people that you study with are likely to become important contacts once you leave university. If you choose a suitable course, the people who are classmates today will be the leaders of tomorrow.

Britain has long been recognised for its success in engineering and technology innovation, and this reputation is built on an excellent education system. The engineering knowledge you gain in a British university is, of course, the same as you would in any other country, but there are differences in the way these are taught and learnt from many others. You need to be aware of these differences of approach and expectation before you start to study.

In most courses in Britain, there is a lot of emphasis placed on learning to think for yourself and study on your own. This can come as a shock to students who are used to being given all of the information they need, but independent learning skills are vital once you start a real job, solving problems that have never been encountered before. Fortunately, courses develop these skills gradually, with plenty of support available to ensure your confidence is built up.

Engineering courses in Britain are shorter than in many other countries, being three or four years in length. Most students complete the course within this time, since it is unusual for students to repeat years. So although course fees may seem high, the overall cost of study in Britain can be lower than elsewhere.

Deciding what to study and where to study it is a big decision, both in terms of time and money, and so it is vital that you choose the right course and the right university. To make the right decision you have to take account of many different factors, as outlined below.

Looking at the lists of courses available, it is easy to be confused by the wide choice, ranging from straightforward Electronic Engineering to more specialist courses, such as communications, semiconductor devices or microelectronics. There is also a wide range of joint courses, combining electronics with computer science or language studies, for instance.

An Electronic Engineering course will cover all of the key knowledge and skills required to become a successful engineer, including the skills required to rapidly become familiar with new developments, while a more specialist course may neglect some of these topics in order to cover the more specialist subjects. This can be an advantage for those wanting to follow a career in the particular specialisation, but if you do not know which specialisation would suit you best, then a more general course may be more appropriate.

Fortunately, many courses begin by covering general Electronic Engineering, but allow specialisation in later stages of the course. A typical course may be fairly general for the first two years, with specialisation available in the third and fourth years. While following a joint course will give additional skills, it will allow less time for the core electronics knowledge, and so choosing an unrelated subject can leave the graduate not fully qualified in either of the subjects contributing to the degree.

Besides deciding which type of course would suit you best, it is important to choose the right university. Each university sets its own curriculum, decides the teaching methods that will be used, and the qualifications required for entry. The facilities available within each university, the qualifications of the staff, and the specialisations available will also differ. It can be difficult to know which universities will offer the best education, especially as each institution wishes to promote its own courses. Although the reputation of a university may give an indication of the quality of education, the fact that they have a good reputation does not necessarily mean that the Electronic Engineering course will be equally good. Similarly, some of the best universities for the study of electronics are not generally recognised.

In order to help choose a suitable course, there are a number of sources of independent information. The British Government established the Quality Assurance Agency to assess the quality of education provided by each university in particular subjects. In order to make these assessments, a panel of experts visit the university to observe teaching, talk to students, graduates and their employers. They then award a grade out of 24 points. The panel also produce a report covering each of the six areas of the assessment. The assessments for Electronic Engineering, involving 76 institutions, were carried out between 1996 and 1998. The reports on each institution are publicly available on the QAA Website: www.qaa.ac.uk.

A total of ten universities gained the maximum possible grade (24 out of 24), but it is important to look at the individual reports, since these specify what the courses aim to achieve. The assessment is a judgement of how well these aims are achieved.

A second factor to consider in quality of courses is accreditation by professional bodies. In the case of Electronic Engineering, this is the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). The IET looks at both the subject matter and the way it is taught, and can award accreditation for three different levels of course. Accredited Master of Engineering (MEng) and Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) honours courses lead eventually to chartered engineer status, while other degree courses can lead to Incorporated Engineer status. Although accreditation of a course means that it has met the required standard, if a course is not accredited this does not necessarily mean that it is not a good course. A course can only be fully accredited once students have graduated, and so it may take four to five years before a new course can be accredited. Courses that address new technologies may be very relevant to industry, but because they are new, they may not be accredited. Courses that combine electronics with other disciplines may also not be accredited because they do not contain sufficient core Electronic Engineering material, but this does not mean they are not worth considering if the subject is what you want to study.

The choice of whether to study an MEng or BEng (honours) course can be a difficult one. MEng courses tend to last four years, while BEng's are generally one year shorter. This does save money on fees and living expenses, but if your eventual aim is to gain chartered status, a further year of academic study is required following graduation from a BEng.

Your choice of university may also take account of the cost of living. This can vary a great deal depending on the location of the university. Although London, for example, has many attractions for students, the costs of accommodation, transport and food all tend to be higher than in other parts of the country. Worrying about money and the need to work can be a big distraction from your academic work.

With the choice of different subjects, course structures and universities open to students of Electronic Engineering, it can seem overwhelming. You should try to decide what you really want to get out of your course. Then look for independent information, try to talk to someone who has studied at the universities you are interested in and, if you are unsure about what a particular course involves, or whether a particular university would suit you, then contact the Department with your questions. You will be able to learn a lot from the way they answer, both about the courses and the way that they treat students.

Why should You study Electrical and Electronic Engineering? 

• You enjoy maths and science and want to make the most of your excellent grades.

• You want to learn more about quantum effects and their application in security and computing.

• You’re fascinated by electricity, energy and electronics.

• You want to reduce our carbon footprint by developing more efficient renewable energy solutions, rolling out smart energy grids, and designing hybrid and all-electric vehicles.

• You love the latest gadgets and want to design mobile phones, set-top boxes, music players and 3D TVs.

• You’re inquisitive and want to explore how things work, invent things, and design things that benefit society.

• You want to develop innovative real-time software solutions that run on embedded computers and processors.

• You’re passionate about medical electronics, and want to contribute to the development of life-saving instrumentation.

• The Internet amazes you and you want to learn more about terabit optical communications and gigabit wireless handsets.

• You’re creative and want to work in the digital media industry.

• You’re looking for generous sponsorship options, interesting summer placements, and exceptional employment prospects.

• With an electrical and electronic engineering degree you’ll have no trouble earning money. The technology is all-pervasive and present in every aspect of modern life.

• Electrical and electronic engineering is embedded in all other engineering disciplines (particularly mechanical and aerospace).

• The skills we teach are portable and starting salaries are up to £29k a year.

Source www.usnews.com