Top Paying Careers in Electrical Engineering

Posted in #LetsBFRANK: The College Admissions Blog on June 8, 2020

This post was written by Marie Gendron

In this post, we explain the benefits of a career in electrical engineering, starting salaries, and how to decide whether the field is right for you.

Engineering is a broad field, with more than 25 different areas of study. One of the highest paid and most versatile specialties within the field is electrical engineering, which revolves about electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics.

What do electrical engineers do?

Electrical engineers study, develop, design, and refine a wide range of electrical equipment, including everything from small pocket devices to massive electrical grids. They are involved in projects from conceptualization to design and construction to maintenance. Their work can include testing prototypes, evaluating and improving electrical systems, and conducting feasibility studies and cost analyses.

“Anything that has electrical systems needs electrical engineers to design it, to test it, and to improve on it,” says Lisa Shatz, PhD, Chair of the Electrical Engineering program at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT).

Because the electrical engineering field is so broad, many electrical engineers specialize in one of the following sub-disciplines:

Power and energy
Electronics
Signal processing
Instrumentation
Control systems
Microelectronics
Telecommunications
Computers

Depending on their background and expertise, electrical engineers might develop telecommunications systems or GPS devices, design household appliances, design building electrical systems, or supervise the manufacture of power generation equipment.

Do you have to be a math whiz to be an electrical engineer?

The most important quality for an electrical engineer is curiosity. Electrical engineers are generally the type of people who wonder how things work and who are eager to figure out how they could work better or more efficiently. They generally like learning through hands-on activities and lab work, versus a lecture setting. Because the field changes rapidly, the best engineers are also continuous learners who like to keep up with current trends.

“If you’re really interested in how things work and you want to work on technology that will help people, support people, make their lives much, much better, this is a good career to go into,” Shatz says.

While every electrical engineering degree program focuses heavily on math and science courses, Shatz says students don’t have to be a calculus or physics genius to excel in an engineering program or as an electrical engineer.

“I tell students that you don’t have to love math, but you have to be able to work with it,” says Shatz. “You need a very strong math background to get the skills you need for this career. You don’t need to be the best in math, but if you really dislike it, you won’t be able to do this career.”

In fact, Shatz say that because the electrical engineering field is so broad, it can be a great fit for many personality types.

“There are all kinds of ways for you to be involved in this field,” Shatz says. “If you’re more cerebral, you could be in design, with models and computers. If you’re more hands on, you could be a test engineer. There are also sales engineers to sell systems. It fits a lot of different personalities.”

What types of companies employ electrical engineers?

Electrical engineers work for a wide variety of companies across many industries. These industries include research and development, engineering services, manufacturing, telecommunications, power and renewable energy, computer technology, biomedical technology, defense, and much more. Even real estate developers need engineers—Shatz says there is currently a shortage of electrical engineers who can design electrical systems for buildings and large real estate complexes.

BFIT’s electrical engineering bachelor’s degree program specializes in the power discipline; so Shatz says many graduates go on to work for companies like Eversource, CE Power, Phoenix Electric, Electro Switch, General Electric, and National Grid. But she says an electrical engineering degree is so versatile that students can also easily find opportunities in biomedical engineering, computer engineering, and even cybersecurity.

“As far as getting a job and a good future, electrical engineering is an excellent career,” Shatz says.

What is the starting salary for an electrical engineer?

Average base pay for an electrical engineer is currently $67,000-$127,000, according to data compiled by the job search site Glassdoor. In Glassdoor’s 50 Best Jobs in America for 2019, nearly 20 percent of the top-ranked jobs were in the engineering field.

In the power industry in Massachusetts, Shatz says electrical engineering graduates can expect a starting salary of about $70,000 a year. By mid-career, she says they might earn upwards of $100,000.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that there will be nearly 140,000 new engineering jobs created over the 2016-26 decade. For electrical engineers, BLS predicts the creation of more than 5,000 new jobs and a median salary of $94,210 for the decade.

BLS says the top industries employing engineers through 2026 will be manufacturing, engineering services, government (federal, state, and local), scientific research, construction, and computer system design. It predicts the biggest growth in the engineering services field.

What education do you need to become an electrical engineer?

For most electrical engineering roles, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree directly related to the role. Once in the field, electrical engineers can gain additional certifications and specializations that can help them advance their careers.

While some electrical engineering specialties may require an advanced degree, Shatz said that companies in industries like electric power actually prefer graduates with only a bachelor’s degree. “They prefer graduates with a bachelor’s degree who they can then train,” Shatz says. “Once they’re on the job, students may opt to go on to get a master’s degree or even an MBA (Master of Business Administration) if they want to move into management.”

Common job titles for entry-level electrical engineers holding a bachelor’s degree include design engineer, test engineer, field engineer, and research engineer.

What should I look for in an electrical engineering program?

The core curriculum of any electrical engineering bachelor’s degree program should include a strong mix of math, science, engineering, and computer engineering courses. In addition to classroom work, electrical engineering majors should have ample opportunities to participate in laboratory work, field studies, and internships. Some engineering programs offer courses in economics or project management, which can make graduates even more marketable.

When choosing an engineering program, Shatz says it is important to think about how you prefer to learn. She says studies have shown that students in engineering programs may benefit from smaller class sizes with more hands-on opportunities and direct interaction with faculty, as opposed to through large lecture classes.

You should also ask what types of industry partnerships the engineering program has and how those might benefit you as a student. Many technical colleges work with industry partners to inform their curriculum and training programs and to offer internships and job shadowing opportunities. Colleges may also provide opportunities to get involved with a student branch of a professional engineering society. Shatz recommends also looking at a college’s faculty bios to see whether the people teaching you have real-world experience as well as strong academic credentials.

Cost of the degree is also a consideration for most college students. The average out-of-state cost for a bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering is just over $42,000 a year, according to the CollegeCalc website. For four years of study, that totals over $168,000.

But costs vary widely from institution to institution and there are many less expensive options available. For example, BFIT partners with the City of Boston to offer a Tuition-Free College plan through which low-income Boston residents can receive up to three years of free college tuition and fees.

“Electrical engineering is different than a lot of majors in that, if you do have debt, you can work it off fairly quickly because the field has high job placement rates and the jobs pay well,” says Shatz. “But you still don’t want to graduate with too much debt if you don’t have to.”

Once you graduate, there are a variety of online sites that offer resume samples and tools specifically for electrical engineers. Your college’s Career Services office should also be able to help you prep for your job search.

At Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology, we are committed to creating opportunities for any student who wants to work toward a better future. And we promise to always provide the facts you need to make an informed decision about your education.