From the global positioning system (GPS) that can continuously provide
the location of a person or vehicle to giant electric power generators,
electrical and electronics engineers are responsible for a wide range of
technologies. Electrical and electronics engineers design, develop,
test, and supervise the manufacture of electrical and electronic
equipment. Some of this equipment includes broadcast and communications
systems; electric motors, machinery controls, lighting, and wiring in
buildings, automobiles, aircraft, and radar and navigation systems; and
power generating, controlling, and transmission devices used by electric
utilities. Many electrical and electronics engineers work in areas
closely related to computers. However, engineers whose work relates
exclusively to computer hardware are computer hardware engineers.
Electrical and electronics engineers specialize in different areas such
as power generation, transmission, and distribution; communications; and
electrical equipment manufacturing, or a specialty within one of these
areas-industrial robot control systems or aviation electronics, for
example. Electrical and electronics engineers design new products, write
performance requirements, and develop maintenance schedules. They also
test equipment, solve operating problems, and estimate the time and cost
of engineering projects.
Electrical and electronics engineers held about 292,000 jobs in 2002,
making up the largest branch of engineering. Most jobs were in
professional, scientific, and technical services firms, government
agencies, and manufacturers of computer and electronic products and
machinery. Wholesale trade, communications, and utilities firms
accounted for most of the remaining jobs.
Thomas Edison was one of the world’s greatest and most prolific inventors, but he is also known as a great electrical engineer. Electrical Engineering is the discipline of engineering that covers all of Edison’s work with electricity and electric devices.
The largest technical professional organization in the world, the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers, or IEEE (I-triple E), honors Edison’s achievements with the IEEE Edison Medal, an award presented to an electrical engineer for a career of meritorious achievement in electrical science, electrical engineering, or the electrical arts.
Although Edison was self-taught, he has inspired thousands of young people to pursue careers in electrical engineering, which requires a college degree in the field. There are twenty universities in Texas that offer the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) and one, Lamar University, is here in Beaumont. There are over 350 BSEE programs in the United States.
Electrical engineering offers many career paths that include working for an electric utility, like Entergy!
Here is a list of things electrical engineers can do:
- Telecommunications that includes radios, television, cellular phones and satellite technologies.
- Instrumentation and Control, which keeps our chemical and petroleum industries productive, efficient and safe.
- Power, which keeps the lights on and the air conditioners cooling!
- Robotics, an exciting field with robots that help doctors perform surgery, robots that explore the oceans and other planets, robots that fly and even robots that search disaster areas for survivors.
- Computers, machines that our modern day civilization cannot work without.
Electrical engineers impact our lives in many, many ways and Edison paved the way for much of what electrical engineers work with, constantly improving on the foundation that he laid.
Here are some links to help you find out more about becoming an Electrical Engineer:
IEEE
What jobs can you do with an electrical engineering degree?
Careers in Electrical Engineering
Career Cornerstone Center: Electrical Engineers
How to become an Electrical Engineer
https://typesofengineeringdegrees.org/
https://cybersecuritydegrees.org/
JustGoogle “ee career paths”
Please visit Lamar University, Electrical Engineering Department.
This is our regional university located in Beaumont, Texas, which has
an excellent EE Department – check them out, they can help you with your
future career.