Ask an Electrical Engineer - Jobs and Careers Edition | Part 2

[@luke7727]

Excellent video. This 'Jobs and Careers' series has been very helpful for me - thank you. I'll be starting my degree next year and will be 30 by the time I graduate. Do you think I'll face any additional challenges as an older graduate? Have you ever worked with anyone who was in a similar situation?

[@CircuitBread]

Hey Luke! I have - at BSU, a large number of students were "non-traditional". I'd say half of my classmates were 30+ by the time they graduated and I was 25 because I also didn't go straight to college after high school. The only challenge that I've seen is that you'll probably be making about the same amount of money as your younger contemporaries, despite being older, which can be frustrating as you're at a later stage in your life. The greater life experiences and maturity should really help when it comes to study habits and work habits, so you may be a more enticing candidate and more appreciated co-worker. But that is a generalization and the knowledge you have and the way you work will be, by far, the most important factor.

[@extinctcomp3908]

I just started my first year of EE in City College of NY, hopefully I can comeback here in 4-ish years telling you I graduated😭.

[@CircuitBread]

Good luck and we're looking forward to hearing that!

[@imostliked2277]

how is it going

[@extinctcomp3908]

@@imostliked2277 I didn’t know I had to take some classes that were required in order to join the Grove school of engineering, next semester is gonna be my last since I’ll be able to start in Grove in spring of 2023. It’s going alright, I have a 3.7/4 GPA at the moment.

[@CircuitBread]

@@extinctcomp3908 It's been another year - how are things going for you? Are you enjoying the classes?

[@extinctcomp3908]

@@CircuitBread Ended up being able to join the engineering school this Fall Semester of 2023. I’m only taking one engineering class as of rn, and it’s just teaching me how to use MATLAB. Next semester I’ll be taking 2 or more EE classes. So I should technically get my bachelors in 2.5-3 years from now.

[@MrDoneboy]

BTW...Thank you for your service. I was an Army Ranger.

[@EricValencia-if6ul]

The ABET certification in an institution with Electrical Engineering and the Washington Accord can make your degree work almost anywhere in the world to answer that question. Now licensing, which is different, is regulated by each country which could have their own regulations.

[@garrettscott9427]

Another great video! Keep up the good work.

[@donluz1522]

I’m an electrician of 5 years. I decided I’m gonna pursue EE degree. I kinda fell into my career through the Navy(enlisted). Now I have a great practical grasp of electricity. Just tired of doing all the electrical dirty work lol great vid !

[@CircuitBread]

Nice! It's a bit of "grass is greener" as I was always jealous of the ET's that worked with me and their opportunities to get their hands dirty and actually do some electronics or electrical work. Pros and cons on both sides, but I admit, the officers definitely have it a lot cushier. Good luck at school!

[@maxrobertson7610]

I’m literally doing the same thing, I’m a AE and I’m thinking of pursing an EE degree after my contract

[@sollinw]

appreciate this, more of it! What is a day of the jobs u had like?

[@e.g.4483]

Silicon Valley, specifically the South Bay has a high demand for hardware engineers. Texas also has a lot of opportunities. That takes a 5 minute Google search....not sure what the point was of putting that question in the video if you weren't going to answer it :/

[@shawnbrown3809]

Hello, I'm a EE student. I have a very general question about EE. The reason I wanted to become one was to work on Hardware (Control Systems, Logic boards (not silicon), component design, etc). My peers in Computer engineering say I should switch, but I don't like the idea of writing software(drivers) but I do want to work on computer equipment (motherboards, circuit layout, etc). I'm pretty sure EE fulfills my needs on this front, but I would like your opinion.

[@CircuitBread]

Hey Shawn, there is definitely overlap on these topics where you could probably do Computer Engineering instead but you’re right - there’s more of a coding/software development on that side. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but if you’re interested more in the hardware side (like I am) then EE makes more sense than CompE to me.

[@shawnbrown3809]

@@CircuitBread thank you for the quick reply, you wouldn’t believe how very not helpful the engineering “advisors” are when asked this. I don’t strictly speaking hate programming, but hardware just makes more sense to me

[@eren2682]

Can a electrical engineer get job in aerospace , robotics or computer hardware ? If yes what kind of job they have to do?

[@CircuitBread]

Yes, they definitely can! And the type of job you can get just depends on the opening and your skill set. Electrical engineers could be working on the control systems of the robotics or the electronics. In aerospace, they could be doing the digital design or the analog design. Electrical engineering is incredibly broad.

[@allenthomas2660]

Hey I was wondering what the difference between electrical engineers and electrical engineering technologist? I plan on studying eet what are your thoughts on this field? And what is the job growth for electrical engineering technologist vs a regular engineer? Thank you

[@CircuitBread]

Hi Allen! Sorry, none of us are really familiar with electrical engineering technologists, so we're going to be a bad resource in this case. I just googled it and found an overview at owlguru which will probably give you a lot better info than anything we could provide. Thanks for reaching out!

[@andrewstockton72]

Hello, Great video, I laughed really hard at the fixing the computer part. I was at a coffee shop pre-COVID and this person asked me to help them with fixing their computer when I told them I was getting a degree in EE. I could not fix it and they shamed me for it lol. I do have a question for you, I am looking for entry level positions and I wanted to add to my resume that I have been volunteering my time/good/service in the EE field. Do you know of any at home volunteer options that are related to the EE field? I know a ME may add 3D modeled parts to a database as a way of volunteering their time. Thank you for your time

[@CircuitBread]

Hi Andrew! That is funny and it's so ironic that we get mocked for now knowing more than average about computers. It's like asking a welder to do some plumbing work and then mocking them because they're no good at plumbing 🤔 I'm not aware of too many volunteer options for EE's, though I'd be interested myself. We have had some people ask if they can help us and some of the most recent (and very excellent) EE FAQs and tutorials have been written by volunteers like Kushal. We have done volunteer work at science bowls and engineering festivals but those are one-offs and don't actually use any EE skills, just science oriented minds.

[@marianapinheiro2518]

Hi! I’m a last year electrical engineering student and although I’m learning a lot and trying hard to apply myself and improve my knowledge on the field I’ve chosen, my GPA is really bad due to some personal problems I had during the graduation. Do you think it will affect me greatly regarding getting a job? P.S.: congratulations for the videos, I learned a lot! :)

[@CircuitBread]

Thanks Mariana! Unfortunately, people do look at your GPA with your first job. Fortunately, most people you talk to will not prioritize your GPA when considering whether or not to hire you, as they're humans and understand that GPA != job performance. Having a good portfolio of projects you've done and doing well in the interview (being well spoken, showing excitement, showing you know what you're talking about despite a less than stellar GPA) will offset the GPA problems.

[@marianapinheiro2518]

CircuitBread Thank you so much for the advice!

[@leitongkun5766]

thank you for you video. Is an engineering license compulsory for electrical engineer who wants to work in computer equipment design?

[@CircuitBread]

Nope, not at all. Your job may specifically require it (aside from legal requirements) but I've never heard of that being the case. You should be good.

[@matthewbean5521]

Do you have any advice for me as an Industrial Maintenance Technician(I've focused a lot on electrical troubleshooting and wiring) starting school for Electrical Engineering while still working full time as a Technician? Thanks.

[@CircuitBread]

My only specific advice is this: Your background will help with the learning curve in some basic classes but the curriculum will still be a challenge, so don't get complacent. In general, working and going to school full time is going to push you very hard. Be careful to not get burned out and make/cherish opportunities to relax.

[@CircuitBread]

And good luck!

[@matthewbean5521]

@@CircuitBread Thank you!!

[@gabrielgudger6455]

Hello. I got my bachelor's two years ago now and I am stuck and. I initially took a good paying job a friend helped me get after I graduated. I do very simple AutoCAD drafting for mechanical air balancing plans. (not EE related at all and very simple). During my time I never planned to stay long, but I torn my ACL and my company (being really awesome) was really helpful in allowing me to take over a month off of work, so that prolonged my stay. I did however get my FE certification in preparation for my job search. Around that same time me and girlfriend found out we were having a baby. I felt it was best to stay at my job. In hindsight, this was a horrible idea and I shouldv've found something in my field immediately. But instead it felt more comfortable staying with my company since they also gave me a $3 raise to keep tracing mechanical plans overlayed with air distribution which was something I could do in my sleep at that point. Fast forward to after having our baby boy in december. I feel settled with the baby and ready to finally resume my search until... covid hits. That combined with my lack of EE experience had left me trying to apply for whatever entry level EE positions I can when no companies are open and able to train employees. I live in southern california where I know there are opportunities, but I feel dejected after not even being able to even get interviews. I don't think my resume is awful. I have a letter of recommendation from my company describing my work ethic which I take great pride in. I feel like my FE certification should help. I feel like I need a connection of some sort to be able to show my worth to a company. I try recruiting companies such as Aerotek and they find somewhat relevant jobs but those all fall through or there's so many candidates that my resume doesn't even get a look. By june I begin feeling discouraged and slow my search and decide to wait out covid. Fast forward to October and we find out we are having another baby (I know, I know, c'mon I did learn anything the first time). Now I am panicking because I support us for the most part with some help from family and I am growing more concerned because moving out of state is unfortunately not an option and i feel like I do not know what to do. I want to eventually become a transmission line design engineer or somehow work in the high voltage power industry/maybe solar. I find the electrical infrastructure of our country to be quite fascinating and would love to be able to be an influence in the industry. As much as I may want that, I realize things usually never go according to plan, but even with that I do not know where to go from here. Any advice for a young EIT who wants to eventually become a PE someday. I love my degree I earned and would pivot into any EE related job at this point.

[@CircuitBread]

Hey Gabriel, while the parallels aren't perfect, this does make me think of my situation when I got out of the Navy and was trying to figure out what to do next. I agree that the "who you know" is still a better way of finding a job rather than "what you know" but when trying to stand out in a packed field of candidates, the "what you know" combined with your work ethic and excitement is key. Showing, in your resume, that you've done your own personal projects in their field typically catches peoples' eyes because they see that you are passionate enough to spend time and money working on things even after working a full day at your normal job. Plus, you learn a lot, so a win-win. I admit, that's harder in the solar / transmission line world than the circuits or embedded world, but not impossible. I think the biggest thing is to realize that, at this point, you're still pretty young and early in your career. While it would be better that you have actual EE experience, honestly, you're probably still younger than I was when I graduated from college, you have solid engineering / technical experience in a workplace (proof that you can operate in a workplace as a professional should not be understated), and it sounds like you're driven. Patience, not giving up, and keeping your current job to both pay the bills and prove to potential employers that you are responsible, I think it'll all work out in the end.

[@gabrielgudger6455]

@@CircuitBread thank you for saying that. I never thought about the experience of working in the office environment as being important as it is. One thing I specifically would help would be to learn the NEC code since a lot of companies prefer candidates with prior knowledge of it. What do you think would be the best way to do that as someone who is unable to learn it at their acual job? Because I know it is very dense with not a lot of easily memorizable info.

[@CircuitBread]

Oh, that's an excellent question. I studied the NEC a bit while preparing for my PE but haven't really had to deal with it since then. However, I'm hoping to install solar at my house in about five months, so I've been looking at the permitting process here in Idaho and it references the NEC somewhat frequently. Maybe that's the best way to approach it - you don't need to know all of it. Either focus on the sections of the NEC that you think are the most applicable or look on California's permitting websites to see what portions of the code THEY think are most applicable to you. At any rate, at this point, generally knowing what it says and where to find what you need is sufficient. You're not in school anymore, you're allowed and encouraged to look up references for exact information at any time.

[@gabrielgudger6455]

@@CircuitBread 👍 thank you again

[@_mahyar_]

would you please tell about part time jobs that post graduation students can find during their student days.

[@weis0083]

Can a licensed electrician obtain a degree in Electrical Engineering in less time (fewer courses) than someone with no electrical background?

[@CircuitBread]

That's going to be up to your college but, to be frank, I doubt it. However, it will make your fundamental courses a lot easier. It's definitely worth a chat with an advisor at whatever college or university you're thinking about, though, despite my pessimism.

[@nassiratti8542]

Can an Electrical Engineer have leeway on creating or inventing devices ? I want to invent a special table using electromagnetism is this possible during my career path ? Thanks for the vid.

[@CircuitBread]

Most of the time, if you want to invent something, that's your career path - lone inventor. It's extremely rare to work for someone where your job is to "invent something" - usually you're part of a team that works on specific types of products. That being said, as an electrical engineer, most equipment and parts are fairly inexpensive, so you can invent things on your own or with friends, either on the side or as a full time entrepreneur/engineer.

[@bambinosauce7716]

What are some good careers for EEs who like the hardware but want to minimize the amount of software they have to apply to their work?

[@CircuitBread]

Oh, man, I'm not sure if there's really any jobs out there that don't rely on software at least a little bit. If not doing firmware development, there are simulators for everything else. I don't think there's a single career path that minimizes hardware, it's finding the niche in a certain career path. Robotics, for example, you could be actually assembling the electronics and power systems, but there's a lot of software going into the design and control. I almost feel like most of the hands-on work is more for technicians than EE's, really.

[@ObservantAlchemist]

Maybe electrical power engineering. They usually deal with anywhere from generation to transmission & distribution

[@richardlavrskii7273]

Are online certificates (from eDx, Coursera) worth to put at your resume. For someone who is a junior?

[@CircuitBread]

If it's applicable, then yes, put it on! If it's not, just a "hey, look, I did something cool", then I'd leave it off. I can't think of any online certificates off the top of my head that I would put on there, but that's more of a lack of experience on my part than anything. Again, I'd refer to a resume specialist.

[@richardlavrskii7273]

@@CircuitBread Okay, thank you for the response

[@efewevggggg]

Hi , so im currently studying EE in college . we use sometimes MATLAB in some courses like calculus or statistics to solve probelms. but honestly im not that good at it . Is being a proffeisional Pythyon or C language programer a good option or matlab is still required ?

[@CircuitBread]

Depends on what you do! I have literally never used Matlab outside of school and don't know of anyone who does. That being said, there are definitely jobs that require it. Of course, other jobs will require Python or C. Look at what your ideal job is and see if that job needs Matlab (or Python or C) - if it doesn't, do your best in school but don't worry about it overly much. If it does, do your best and then put in some extra time to make this weakness strong and improve your chances of getting your dream job.

[@John-cq3hk]

I think i might like EE. How could one explore a little and look for more spark of interest?

[@CircuitBread]

Hey John, it depends on what aspect most interests you! We're publishing some Circuits 1 tutorials now (we're farther ahead on the written ones on our site, we've only got three videos published so far), and we also have a thorough microcontroller series completed (well, again, all 20 are up on the site, but we've only made 12 videos so far - I'm running behind), to see if the circuits or embedded side are more interesting. Less hands-on, we have some stuff on semiconductors and control systems (again, site only for the controls - holy cow, I'm so far behind) but these are a couple of the higher level subsets of EE. You can see which ones catch your interest, if any! And there are more varieties of work but we haven't touched on power or electromagnetic theory at all.

[@richardlavrskii7273]

I thought Elon did an electrical engineering degree. And someone who also did this degree is Mr. Bean. Yes he really did.

[@CircuitBread]

I had to Google it, Elon does NOT have an EE degree but Mr. Bean has both an undergrad and Master's degree in EE. If the internet is to be believed. I would've never imagined that...

[@richardlavrskii7273]

@@CircuitBread Hahah, mr bean is really strange but funny guy

[@hapnin6353]

@@CircuitBread this is interesting because Mr Bean (Rowan Atkinson) has just publicly denounced UK governments and their attempts to curb free speech in our country - very intelligent and respected man in our country

[@codeguy21]

Hello sir , is it practically possible for a student to learn both electrical engineering and software engineering ?

[@CircuitBread]

Oh, definitely. There is the "jack of all trades, master of none" concern that the time you spend on one means that you'll spend less time on the other and not become quite as good. But, if you are very passionate it may not be an issue. And even if you only become moderately good at one or the other, it will make you more understanding of what the other side has to do, meaning that your hardware will be better designed for the software that will be running on it or your software will be more optimized.

[@rikbloemers43]

How would you feel about an associate degree in EE?

[@CircuitBread]

I didn't even know that's a thing. Personally? I don't get hung up in degrees as much as capabilities but I know other people feel differently. Before it went under, one of my professors talked about he wouldn't accept anything from ITT technical institute because he thought that the school was completely worthless. I don't know, maybe it was, but I would at least give people who went there the benefit of the doubt. So it really does depend on who you're working with.

[@MrDoneboy]

Nicola!

[@brucemurdock5358]

Which softwares are essential for an electrical engineer?

[@CircuitBread]

Oh, that's tough. In general, email and document writing software (Outlook/Word) is something that nearly every EE uses. Other than that, it depends so much on your job that I'm not sure if it's worth it to even mention anything specifically. Matlab is a big one but my guess is well less than 50% of EE's use it after college. But, imagine you want to be a PCB designer - not only is that something only a small portion of EE's do, but there are a wide variety of softwares and many companies will require you to use the one they're used to, not so much what you're used to.

[@trevorbennett1463]

I really want to do electrical engineering but im not sure if i can learn all at math. I struggled in hs, but ph boy i would love to do this

[@CircuitBread]

Hey Trevor, I can't say for sure that you will be able to learn all the math but if you're concerned, there are a lot of resources out there. I highly recommend taking 5-10 minutes a day to work through some algebra problems and perhaps learn about calculus and differential equations from a conceptual level. I think you'll be amazed at how the small yet consistent efforts pay off over time.

[@Abd-ip5ic]

what do you know about btec electrical engineering

[@CircuitBread]

Unfortunately, practically nothing. Sorry!

[@userth39]

Is it possible to make a hybrid car with two batteries each one charging the other?

[@CircuitBread]

Nope, it's like trying to make more water by pouring one cup of water into the other. It just moves the energy around, it doesn't create any more. Add in the transmission/charging losses, and you'll end up with measurably less available energy.

[@userth39]

@@CircuitBread In advanced hybrid cars there is a system that abbreviated KERS to convert kinetic energy into electrical energy and this is what I mean one of the batteries that are charged the other battery by kinetic energy If we consider the gains, can two batteries be used to move the car and dispense with fuel?

[@CircuitBread]

@@userth39 Ah, yeah, KERS is a really cool idea, I remember reading or watching a documentary about how they use it in Formula 1 (if I'm remembering correctly). The problem is that it's simply another way of storing energy. Where does the kinetic energy come from in the first place? It's like the previous example of sharing water between two cups but now you've added a third cup. Two batteries and 1 flywheel - they all still need incoming energy (fuel, in this case) to get started in the first place and to replace energy that wasn't recaptured (as no system is perfectly efficient).

[@userth39]

@@CircuitBread Thank you, but I think it is a successful idea to experiment. In the beginning, we charge the car naturally and then organize the charging between the two batteries ... If the energy drops due to movement, then this will be a way to find the endless energy because when the energy moves quickly between the two batteries, the energy will reach the speed of light and disappear then it must From delivering something that absorbs energy permanently so that the energy remains hidden and the car can operate permanently without the need for fuel .... Thank you

[@paulhetherington3854]

/use top most helicopter rotors for R&D foer MX wheels / disc braekes / /mk bit matrix maps / dbl flotsam mono calipers as difused intel parts ++- file syst in tachron params < reversed grids of spokes as dbl flotsam solutes / /for Yamaha 450f 2022 - 3-D low grade sizals / 4dxy = F'ff(fx 1000 frames- spoke maps-- etches) + 360degs arc mns freeze fraemes for tachrons < 2'dyx ~ dbl flotsam vk planes /

[@tallr264]

6:20? My Super dream job electrician and electrical engineer, in and out job each other. If I have holiday? I will working engineer very early morning before my friend and family wake up lol. Electrician? I will work a lot but if I don’t have any new job or work? Like emergency electrical services or electrical projects or any job I can go work but I don’t have work somewhere else then I work electrical engineer job

[@CircuitBread]

You are motivated! I do like the difference between the two styles of work, though. Electrician work is strangely soothing (except when it isn't) but there's something crazy satisfying about designing embedded systems that actually work as planned.

[@tallr264]

@@CircuitBread agreed man

[@YOUGONFLY22331]

How hard to take a PEE?

[@CircuitBread]

I'm going to assume there was only supposed to be one "E" on there... The PE was hard for me because I was in a managerial role in the Navy and the only "engineering" I did was my own personal projects, so I had to study a lot and was still surprised that I passed the first time. I also know people who, in similar situations, failed multiple times even though they were incredibly intelligent people. That being said, anyone who actually does design work in their job, I imagine it would be pretty straightforward, even though studying - to round out your experience and knowledge - would still be recommended.

[@alonzoramon1083]

I didn't like how he disregarded the first question, seemed rude and unprofessional, although he did a pretty good job handling all other questions! Informative and insightful to say the least!

[@gercius]

He is just being honest, how is this disrespectful lol.

[@MrDoneboy]

Tesla!

[@natemac8473]

You forgot @ElectroBoom haha

[@CircuitBread]

That dude just scares me... Very entertaining, though!