Electrical engineering is a demanding field, but it has a world of employers seeking talented people who can readily deliver what they need. Whether you like working on communication systems, state-of-the-art computer technology, or various small electronic devices, as an electrical engineer you’ll have the opportunity to continue learning as your field evolves over the decades.
Given the need for smart electrical engineers, it makes sense that there are many reasons why studying an electrical engineering degree is worth the time. These days, a masters in electrical engineering online degree is the entryway into this dynamic and challenging field. Most of the available courses work on a credit system and some are available purely through online study to make them accessible for people already in the workforce.
Here are seven reasons why going into electrical engineers makes good sense.
1. Renumeration
The salaries for people with an educational background in electrical engineering are impressive when compared to other types of positions.
Based on data from the Bureau of U.S. Labor Statistics in May 2018, the median salary was approximately $96,640. However, there was a substantial range in pay between the bottom and the top earners. The former ten percent made a little over $64,840 whereas the top earners brought in over $162,200 annually.
Within the field, employees who work in manufacturing facilities on the electronics side get paid around $102,700. For people who worked in development and science for research purposes, their pay was around $90,000. Other specialist areas including electrical power, electromedical, and navigation tended be paid between $93,850-108,130.
Also, it’s useful to bear in mind that the median salary for all U.S. occupations stands at $38,640 in 2018. The average household income is higher due to multiple working occupants in many cases.
2. Work Local or Go Global
Such is the demand for professional electrical engineers that there are potential employers across the globe seeking the right people. Indeed, there’s no shortage of demand with manufacturing plants across the world relying on accurate electronic designs and use of the latest electronic technology which runs virtually all of our gadgets that we rely on today.
When working internationally, it’s often necessary to be flexible about where you’ll be situated. Multi-national companies have many areas of operations, so engineers often need to go where they’re needed most within the company’s organization.
3. Endlessly Fascinating
Rather than working in a boring field that doesn’t evolve and isn’t a passion of yours, instead you can choose to be involved with a type of engineering that is continuously growing and changing. There is also plenty of trial and error as you try different design approaches, see them fail, and then try again until you find success.
As the need to communicate across the globe becomes ever more important, keeping devices and networks communicating successfully only grows in relevance. Learning how new gadgets and appliances operate at their most basic level gives you the inside track to understanding the world in a completely different way that most people never will.
4. Broad Field with Option to Switch Between Specialties
The role of an electrical engineer covers a broad remit. There are many specialty areas to explore, develop expertise in, and when desired, switch between them. This avoids a situation where you no longer wish to work in the same field that your degree applies to (e.g. law or psychology) and now you’re stuck as to how to be employed in an unrelated field.
To give you some idea, electrical engineers can work with creating electrical power engineer solutions, assist with making telecommunications better through new communications equipment, become RFID engineers, and work in signal interpretation and processing. Each of these fields (out of scores and scores of different specialties available) use a native electrical engineering skillset but go into precise areas where it’s possible to develop deep knowledge and become indispensable in that sub field too.
This provides considerable career flexibility that’s not available in all other professions.
5. You Get to Work Creatively
As an electrical engineer, you’re not just following a set playbook. Actually, you’ll need to think outsidethebox in creative ways to solve problems. Coming up with DIY solutions that initially don’t quite work, troubleshooting them to diagnose why your big idea failed, and reworking them until it functions properly is part of the challenge within the profession.
Many times, the problems presented on live projects are complex, dynamic and create a work environment that’s never dull. Not every profession can say the same.
6. Following in the Footsteps of Giants
There are many famous electrical engineers who have made a significant contribution in the world. In this career, you get to attempt to do the same.
Nikola Tesla was at the forefront of pioneering electrical engineering focusing on power generation at certain parts of his life. Other names you might have heard of like Alexander Graham Bell, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz and even the veritable Steve Wozniak, one of the co-founders of Apple, were engineers to their core.
7. Chances to Advance Faster
Advancing up the ranks is possible when holding a master’s in electrical engineering. The field itself is expanding with high job demand and the need for companies to hold onto vital employees. As a result, employers pay more attention to job advancement through promotions to keep staff motivated to continue to work for their company.
In the competitive world of high-stakes employment, there are not many fields where you can say the same. It’s one of the few areas where any new hire is in a strong negotiating position.
Working as an electrical engineer places you at the bleeding edge of what’s happening in the field of electronics. Whether that’s in power generation, computer technology, the latest communication devices or for medical applications, anyone who’s fascinated with the ins and outs of how electronics functions will likely not lose this interest. Because of its specialty with only certain types of people being suited to this kind of work, it keeps employers eager to offer compelling employment and benefit packages to people who are educated in this field.
