Is Electrical Engineering worth it?
Is the pay for this program decent? What is the future employment outlook in 15 years?
#engineering #electricalengineering
2 answers
Ken’s Answer
The objective in life, and in college, is to determine a career focus that will result in a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction and an adequate income. The direction that your focus takes depends upon how well you get to know yourself to determine how your personality traits relate those who are successful in a particular career area. Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
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Josh’s Answer
Yes! But there's much more to consider... Is EE interesting to *you*? Are you going to be happy in this kind of role for a significant portion of your career? Are you willing to put in the effort to achieve graduation in a very difficult major? Do you excel at complex math? Are you an excellent problem solver?
On a purely financial basis, being an EE can be pretty rewarding. Typical starting salaries average > $65,000 (https://www1.salary.com/Salaries-for-Electrical-Engineer-I-with-a-Bachelors-Degree or https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/electrical-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,19.htm). As you grow in your career, a successful EE can end up making easily into six figures - although much of that depends on your role, your industry, and your personal sacrifice. Remember though - the money sounds great but if you're miserable every day at work the money will not change that.
In terms of future value - I suspect EEs will continue to remain highly sought after and highly employable. I would recommend you consider brushing up on some software during college so that you have well-rounded skills. I certainly can't predict the future, but technology is not going away and much of that technology is developed in part by EEs. I don't see any slow down of that trend.
Josh recommends the following next steps: