An electrical engineer is an occupation that revolves around designing, developing and testing electrical control systems. Electrical engineering incorporates all aspect of technology that touches people lives. Electrical engineers are behind the design and operation of computers and other communication technologies. There are varied ranges of career prospects for graduates of this degree program. You may be in charge of the development of the electricity transmission network, or you may be developing the electronic items, you are also not restricted to a vocation in engineering. There are companies that seek engineers for their blend of mathematical aptitude and realistic problem-solving skills. Realistic work is a key component of this program. A bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from a recognized higher education institution accredited by ABET is required to get an entry-level job. High school students aspiring to pursue electrical engineering should excel in physics and mathematics. Graduates can further specialize in a particular field within electrical engineering by pursuing a master’s degree (Prados, George & lisa 164).
How to succeed in the entry-level engineering job market
An electrical engineering student can enhance his marketability through the following ways. An undergraduate student should do an industrial attachment before graduating. There is stiff competition in today’s engineering job market. This is largely attributed to the increasing number of engineering graduates in market. As such, a graduate who has job experience stands out among other job-seeking engineering graduates (Rosenberg & Richard 325).
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"Challenges ascribed to Electrical Engineering".
Secondly, obtaining a professional license can go a long way in boosting one’s job prospects. A professional engineering license indicates the level of seriousness of an individual about the particular field. Networking is also crucial; this entails subscribing to networking events in which you can seek an audience with high-ranking individual in the engineering field. In such events, you need to ask the right question; this depicts you as a serious professional to your potential employers (Heydyt & Vijay 46). Apart from one’s credentials, employers in the electrical engineering field are looking for other attributes such as a team player and self-starters.
Sharpening your communication skills is also crucial in boosting one’s job prospect. As a straight as it may sound, good communication skills is a most common setback within the engineering profession. The ability to present your ideas and resume eloquently can go along way in enticing your potential employer during an interview. Lastly, an electrical engineer should have a practical mindset. A great number of tech billionaires are practical engineers who figured out that they still build a product for themselves and not for the company. This will go a long way in a guaranteeing the best value of your hard-earned level of education.
Benefits of studying electrical engineering
There are a number of benefits of studying electrical engineering. First, the starting salary of an electrical engineer is among the highest according to a recent research. According to statistics from the department of labor, the average starting salary of an electrical engineer amounts to $20,000 per year. The salary is expected to rise over the years.
Secondly, electrical engineering is a superior course compared to other art-related courses. This is because the program has a wide scope of paradigms from specialized fields such as circuits, linear systems and control systems.
Electrical engineering offers the opportunity to work abroad. The knowledge gained from the engineering program does not limit an individual to a specific country. A number of international tech companies are established in different corners of the world. These provide a a wide range of job opportunities to electrical engineers.
Electrical engineering graduates can easily get their first jobs compared to other degree program graduates. Most employers in technology-based companies are in need of fresh minds. In fact, they can mold the young graduates to meet their specific requirement and as result enhance their expertise.
Electrical engineering is a multi-dimensional program. This implies that a broad range of knowledge is attributable to its study. This ranges from report writing to compute programming. Electrical engineering encompasses a lot of report writing; regardless of the field of work, employers require written reports on particular issues (Fisel & Albert 123).
Computers run most aspects of the modern world. Electrical engineering equips one with a wide range of computer skills ranging from software programming to the design of electrical circuits. As a result, an individual can fix computers and other electronics without involving other parties. This in turn cuts down individuals’ service costs plus the cost of purchasing certain devices from an electronic store.
The Importance of electrical engineers
There are number ways that electrical engineers contribute to the greater good of the nation. First, electrical engineers help in fostering environmental sustainability by designing eco-friendly machineries such as electric cars, designing energy-efficient electricity transmission models and designing models for tapping and generating clean energy.
Electrical engineers contribute to the advancement of health sectors. This emerges through the construction of medical instruments such as scanners and designing internal control systems that provide access to digital medical files. Sophisticated medical equipment and software built by electrical engineers help in early and accurate diagnosis of diseases. Electrical engineers also build devices that can substitute certain body parts such as prosthetic legs for the crippled.
Electrical engineers are behind the design of telecommunication paraphernalia. This pertains to Internet equipment, telephones, radios, satellites and other telecommunication devices. Nowadays, lives are largely defined by the telecommunication technology. Electrical engineers are also responsible for the development nanotechnology. This pertains to nanotechnology-based future devices and tools for electronics, medical application and clean energy.
Lastly, electrical engineers are responsible for the development of everything that entails the generation, use and storage of electricity, for instance television sets, computer, microwaves, among others. Electrical engineers are similarly behind the design of microprocessors, a core feature of a computer. Succinctly, it important to state that electrical engineering encompasses a wide range work from design, consultation, teaching, software development and management. As a result, electrical engineers are susceptible to certain level of anxiety. Some end up taking anxiety pills that have harmful effects to their health. This paper will provide a detailed discussion on various difficulties that electrical engineers face in their work practice.
Difficulties faced by electrical engineers
Electrical engineering as a professional has evolved significantly over the years. This implies that tech companies are doing more with less to cut back production costs in the face of stiff competition. In recent times, the complexity of engineering has changed; this implies that electrical engineering has become a multidisciplinary profession in which you are not only limited to the electrical field. An electrical engineer should be averse with mechanical aspects better known as mechatronics. This discipline makes the pursuit of electronic engineering quite daunting. Engineers nowadays concentrate on the search for information rather than in building and designing products. This is largely due to the brain drain of retiring individuals leaving the workforce.
It is difficult for engineers to locate answers to major questions or their hardest problems. A large faction of engineers is destined for retirement, so experienced engineers are not around to tackle those questions. Due to the convolution of the engineering profession, one has to look for more information. As a result, most engineers end up doing what was done in the past. Latest statistics show that there is a lot of time wastage in the duplication of work.
The rising cost of fuel poses a great challenge to electrical engineers as they are tasked with developing energy-efficient means of transportation. The engineers must take into consideration cost, environmental and safety aspects in the design process. The development of electric cars and aircraft has taken into consideration only the environmental aspect, as they still are unaffordable. Such concerns have obligated engineers to assume the role of future guardians of sustainable energy sources.
As earlier stated, electrical engineers play a huge role in the development of technology within both the private and public sector. They join forces with managers irrespective of their disciplines, shareholders, and associate researchers to develop innovative items that tackle the global technological challenges. Such copious amounts of work generate certain levels of stress to the engineers.
Engineers resolve problems and are keen on ensuring that items work efficiently and effectively. Electrical Engineers make use of the theories and ideologies of physics and mathematics to examine and develop solutions to practical problems. Their work is ascribed to alleged social requirements and commercial applications.
Engineers develop products’ blueprint, build equipment to design those products, plants for making these products, and the structure that guarantees the superiority of the products and the competence of the personnel and manufacturing practice. They build and execute improved ways to mine, process, and use raw materials, such as oil and gas. They build new resources that advance the performance of products and make use of advanced technology. They devise ways of harnessing solar power, nuclear energy, and electricity for households use, and build numerous products using power. They examine the environmental effects of the items they build or the control system they design and the effects they have on the end-user. Electrical engineering knowledge improves several things such as healthcare quality, food safety, and the design of financial systems.
The last century has experienced immense engineering accomplishments that people take for granted.� Technology ensures copious supply of food and water safe for drinking to the whole world.� Electricity is relied on for our day-to-day activities.�Computer and communications technologies result in the establishment of huge stores of knowledge and leisure. As notable as these engineering accomplishments are, unquestionably, many more great challenge and opportunities remain unrealized.� While some seem lucid, several others are vague and a lot more certainly lie beyond most of our imaginations.
Cyber security is a major concern for electrical engineers. With the increasing technological advancement, companies are becoming more susceptible to the threat of cyber crime. Cyber criminals are advancing and as a result electrical engineers acting as ethical hackers have to up their game to keep up with the growing threat of cybercrime. Electrical engineers have to come to up with ways to of ensuring that the computer technologies can be used to create an interactive environment for education and entertainment. Electrical engineers are tasked to come up with designs for reverse engineering of the human brain. These pertains to reversing the brain function and as a result heal certain types of human diseases Though these problems appear overpowering, candidly, they are nothing new in the area of electrical engineering technologies. Issues on expenditure, cyber security, environmental sustainability, and population growth are unending. Thus, electrical engineers work autonomously and jointly to make enhancements that will lead to a more contented and healthier world population
Work stress
Work stress is something faced by all as workers who handle it in a different way. Some may opt to take anxiety pills while others may engage in sports; work stress leading to anxiety can be ignored. Although not all forms of stress are bad, knowing how to deal with and handle stress is crucial to the maximization of job performance and upholding our physical and mental wellbeing. For some workers, intermittent levels of work stress create slight threats and may be effectual in increasing work enthusiasm and efficiency. However, when in excess , stress can lead to anxiety which may result to both professional and personal disgrace. Some jobs such electrical engineering, tend have higher amount of stress since they deal with demanding customers with limited time and that have recurring detailed work though it is not limited to any specific work or industry (Heydyt & Vijay 38).
How to deal with work stress
One should have the perception that jobs are disposable. However, one’s health or their friends, families, and health are not. If the employer anticipates too much of you, and it is affecting your wellbeing negatively, it important to look for another job.
Adjust the state of your job. If you are fond of your employer, though the job has become too much demanding or unexciting, you can modify your job to suit your skills. And if you get a promotion into a more demanding position that you just cannot measure up to, you should ask for a lateral transfer or a demotion from your old job.
Give yourself some time away from the job. Incase the stress is building up. Alternatively you can take a break away from the situation for instance a walk around the vicinity of the job, or take a little contemplative time. Working out also is crucial for the mind. However, finding a calm place and listening to your music device can reduce stress.
Fight through the muddle. Taking the time to arrange your desk or workstation can help relieve the sense of lack of morale that comes from too much muddle. Maintaining a to-do- list and then crossing things off may also aid in relieving stress.
Talk it out. Now and then, the greatest stress-reliever is merely sharing your anxiety with a person close to you. The act of conversing and obtaining support and compassion from someone else is habitually a brilliant way of blowing off haze and relieving stress. It is important to have support systems of reliable trustworthy people.
Make friend at the work place. Knowing that you have a meaningful friendship, you have one or more colleagues who are willing to give a hand in times of anxiety, will lessen your stress levels. Just remember to give in return and assist them when they are in need.
Look at the positive side of the situation. When you or your co-workers start taking issues too seriously, look at the positive and probably find a means to break through with amusement. Share a captivating story (Fiesel & Albert 123)
Have pragmatic expectations. Whereas Americans are working more hours, we can only fit so much work into one day. Having impractical expectations for what you can achieve does not set you up for success; it increases stress.
No one is perfect. Incase you are one of those characters that fixates over every aspect and overworks to ensure “everything is perfect,” you have to stop. Change your maxim to doing your best.
Maintain an optimistic attitude and avoid pessimisms. Negativity draws out the vigor and enthusiasm from any circumstance, so shun it as much as possible. Alternatively, develop an affirmative attitude and learn to prize yourself for little achievement even though nobody else does (Rosenberg & Richard 166).
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- Heydt, Gerald T., and Vijay Vittal. “Feeding our profession [power engineering education].” Power and Energy Magazine, IEEE 1.1 (2003): 38-45.
