Harry
What are the requirements to become an electrical engineer?
I'm really interested in becoming an electrical engineer, or an engineer of a similar field when I grow up. Are there any specific requirements to become an electrical engineer, such as colleges, classes, or other requirements? #college #engineer #electrical
4 answers
Peter Sturtevant
Peter’s Answer
Assuming that you are still in High School, you should take four years of Math courses. Math is fundamental to Electrical and other branches of engineering. You should also take Physics, as this will help you understand electrical properties. Choose a college that has a recognized Electrical Engineering Degree Program. Once you get into College, you can generally enroll in Electrical Engineering as a Major. That way you will know the lower division courses you need to pursue this type of degree.
Nicole Parker
Nicole’s Answer
Hi. Any engineering degree will require math. Take all the math classes you can. I struggled in math classes but did very well in engineering classes that put math to practical use. Math and curiosity is common to all engineering. To learn more, check out events offered at libraries, museums, and school clubs. Get every experience you can. TED talks online are a great resource too to learn more.
Matt Drum
Matt’s Answer
- 4 year college degree in engineering (preferably from ABET accredited university such as UNM School of Engineering)
Many students take longer than 4 years to graduate as engineering classes are notoriously difficult. At UNM only 10% graduate in 4 years only, 5-6 years is average, but certainly not the goal. Remember that the longer you're in school, the more money your spending on education, and the less you're making in the already high-pay, high-demand field of work! GPA is important to some companies, but even a GPA less than 3.0/4.0 can get you a great job with ease. If you're passing the hard classes, try to get a job (internships serve well in school) and graduate fast, unless you want to work at a prestigious firm or go to graduate school which requires a high GPA.
- Ability to work rigorous math and science problems.
You don't have to be a genius or know how to find cube-roots in your head, but you must be able to think logically and in processes, and layout a problem step by step. In other words you need "problem-solving" and "critical thinking" skills to be able to handle any engineering job. In college, the math and science you'll do is extremely rigorous, and you will GREATLY benefit from taking the hardest math courses in high school. Once you actually start your job as an engineer however, you'll likely not need to be an expert on every formula you learned. Most likely, you'll need a handful of scientific/mathematical concepts to do your job, which you can be refreshed of when you begin your career. I know engineers that use advanced math (calc, differential equations, etc.) regularly, and I know some that don't remember even basic calculus, but still make great engineers. What matters is you can learn difficult math and science concepts quickly because you have the intense training from college.
You don't need to pass special exams or residency periods of any kind. Just graduate, and get hired. It's that simple.
Optional:
- Fundamentals of Engineering or Engineer in Training Exam (FE or EIT)
This test can be taken as soon as you graduate college, or later. It is not required to do engineering work, but it can help you advance your engineering career and eventually become licensed as a Professional Engineer (PE). This typically helps you to get a higher pay, but it comes with greater responsibility. Many engineers don't take the FE exam, nor ever become PE's.
- Graduate degree in engineering
This could be a Master's of Science degree (2 more years of graduate school after 4 years of undergraduate college), or a PhD in engineering (5 years+ after undergraduate). The good news is you can typically work full time to pay for these programs, and many companies will pay for part or all of your advanced schooling costs once you're an engineer. It's common for engineers to go to 4 years of college after high school (Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering), start working as an engineer (starting salary around $75,000 for electrical engineers in 2020), then decide if a master's degree is worth the extra cost and time.
- Other certifications and training in your specific field of interest.
Electrical engineers work in a wide variety of fields and perform a wide variety of tasks. Anywhere from microchips, to optics, to long-distance power transmission. Each field will have standards, regulations, and unique educational requirements that can be learned on the job, or before if you want to really impress.
Bonus Points:
- Develop great people skills and you will stand out.
Many engineers don't work directly with others regularly. Some jobs can be isolating, and can make outgoing types bored. Other engineers can also be quiet and shy which also can make the office quiet. If you have experience in customer service, public speaking, sales, you will stand out, and likely enter manager roles earlier than others.
- Learn humility.
As an engineer (especially electrical) you tend to be smarter than a lot of people in that you can solve challenging technical problems that others cannot. This does not mean others are stupid. The earlier you learn this, the smoother your career will go, and the more fulfilling it will be. After all, people will like you more and be more willing to help you succeed! Arrogant, smug engineers might be brilliant, but if you can't be well-liked by others you work with (especially non-engineers), you are not worth keeping around.
Antoinne Machal-Cajigas
Antoinne’s Answer
Nicole and Peter gave great advice! Any discipline you pick within engineering is a framework for thinking about the world, how it works, and ways to design solutions to problems. Math and physics are your building blocks, and you'll use them to varying degrees based on the problem you want to solve (or cool new device/product you want to make). As you can imagine, the more you dive into the math and physics, the better your understanding of the details.
Some engineers like the nitty gritty details while others enjoy focusing on how the different parts of a system come together and interact with each other. One engineer might get excited about how to improve your phone's battery life based analyzing how energy is used (detail oriented) and another engineer might get excited about how to reduce dropped calls between cell phones in Downtown Boston (system oriented).
You'll find your passion by taking classes and participating in science-related clubs and events. Part of my journey was joining my school's Science Team where I built a robot with my friend's father (an electrical engineer) and reading books.