What is an Electrical Engineer?

An electrical engineer designs, develops, and maintains electrical systems and devices. Their work helps power homes, businesses, and industries, as well as create new technologies like advanced electronics and communication systems. Electrical engineers work in many fields, including telecommunications, power plants, automotive, aerospace, and consumer electronics, helping to improve and innovate everyday technology.

They often work with other experts, such as mechanical engineers, software developers, and project managers, to ensure projects are successful and meet safety and industry standards. Whether designing circuits, improving power grids, or developing new electronic devices, electrical engineers play a key role in advancing technology.

What does an Electrical Engineer do?

An electrical engineer's design of an electrical system.

Duties and Responsibilities
Electrical engineers have a wide range of duties and responsibilities, often depending on their specialization. However, some core responsibilities include:

  • Design and Development: Electrical engineers are responsible for designing and developing electrical systems and components. This can include power generation and distribution systems, control systems, circuit boards, and electronic devices.
  • Testing and Troubleshooting: They conduct tests to ensure systems are functioning properly, identifying and fixing issues or faults in electrical systems, components, or devices. This can involve using specialized equipment to perform diagnostic tests.
  • System Installation and Maintenance: Electrical engineers oversee the installation of electrical systems and equipment, ensuring they meet required safety standards. They also provide ongoing maintenance to keep these systems running smoothly.
  • Project Management: They may manage projects that involve electrical system design, development, or upgrades, working with teams, vendors, and clients to ensure projects meet deadlines, budgets, and specifications.
  • Research and Innovation: Electrical engineers often engage in research to create new technologies or improve existing systems. This may involve exploring innovative solutions in areas like renewable energy, automation, or communications.
  • Safety and Compliance: Ensuring that electrical systems comply with national and international safety standards and regulations is a key responsibility. Electrical engineers must also create designs that minimize risks and hazards.
  • Collaboration and Communication: Electrical engineers collaborate with other engineers, project managers, and stakeholders to ensure successful outcomes. This often requires clear communication to relay technical information and coordinate efforts.

Types of Electrical Engineers
Electrical engineering is a broad field with various specializations, each focusing on different aspects of electrical systems and devices. Here are some types of electrical engineers and what they typically do:

  • Communications Engineer: Specializes in designing and maintaining communication networks, including wired and wireless systems, fiber optics, and satellite communications.
  • Computer Hardware Engineer: Focuses on hardware and embedded systems, designing components like processors, memory devices, and computer networking equipment.
  • Control Engineer: Develops automation and control systems used in industries like manufacturing, robotics, and aerospace to regulate machinery and processes.
  • Digital Design Engineer: Develops digital circuits and systems used in computing, networking, and embedded systems, often working with processors and FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) technology.
  • Electronics Engineer: Designs and develops small-scale electronic devices, such as microchips, circuit boards, and consumer electronics like smartphones and computers.
  • Embedded Systems Developer: Designs and programs embedded systems, which are small, specialized computing units found in devices like medical equipment, automotive control systems, and industrial machines.
  • Power Electronics Engineer: Designs and develops electronic systems that control and convert electric power, such as inverters, converters, and motor drives used in electric vehicles and industrial applications.
  • Power Engineer: Works with power generation, transmission, and distribution systems, including electrical grids, renewable energy, and high-voltage equipment.
  • Renewable Energy Engineer: Focuses on sustainable energy solutions, including solar power, wind energy, hydroelectric systems, and smart grid technologies.
  • RF (Radio Frequency) Engineer: Works with wireless communication systems, including cellular networks, radio transmitters, antennas, and satellite technology.
  • Signal Processing Engineer: Focuses on the analysis and manipulation of digital and analog signals used in audio processing, image recognition, radar, and telecommunications.
  • Telecommunications Engineer: Specializes in communication systems, including fiber optics, radio networks, satellites, and wireless technologies.

Are you suited to be an electrical engineer?

Electrical engineers have distinct personalities. They tend to be investigative individuals, which means they’re intellectual, introspective, and inquisitive. They are curious, methodical, rational, analytical, and logical. Some of them are also realistic, meaning they’re independent, stable, persistent, genuine, practical, and thrifty.

Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if electrical engineer is one of your top career matches.

Take the free test now Learn more about the career test

What is the workplace of an Electrical Engineer like?

The workplace of an electrical engineer depends on their job, industry, and employer. Many work in offices, where they design, plan, and analyze electrical systems. They use specialized software to create circuits, test designs, and develop schematics. In the office, they also collaborate with other engineers, project managers, and clients to refine ideas and ensure projects meet requirements.

Some electrical engineers spend time in labs or testing facilities, where they experiment with new technology and test electrical components. They use tools like oscilloscopes, signal generators, and spectrum analyzers to measure and analyze electrical signals. This hands-on work helps them troubleshoot issues, improve designs, and ensure systems work safely and efficiently.

Others work in the field, visiting construction sites, power plants, or manufacturing facilities to oversee installations and inspect equipment. Fieldwork gives them real-world experience, allowing them to work directly with contractors and technicians to ensure everything is built correctly and meets safety standards.

Frequently Asked Questions

Electrical Engineer vs Electronics Engineer

The terms electrical engineer and electronics engineer both fall under the umbrella of electrical engineering but focus on different areas. While there are some similarities in what they do, each has its own specialization and types of projects they work on.

Electrical Engineer
An electrical engineer works with a wide range of electrical systems and equipment. They are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining power systems like electricity grids, renewable energy sources (e.g., solar, wind), and electrical systems in buildings. Electrical engineers also work on things like telecommunications systems and control systems that manage electrical devices. Their focus is more on power and how electricity is generated, controlled, and distributed to homes, businesses, and industries.

Electronics Engineer
An electronics engineer, however, specializes in smaller electrical components like microchips, sensors, and circuits. They focus on designing and improving devices such as cell phones, computers, and other gadgets. Electronics engineers work on creating the electronic parts inside these devices and improving their performance. They deal with the technical details of how these components function and communicate with each other in a system.

Summary
To put it simply, electrical engineers work with big-picture electrical systems, like power plants and electrical infrastructure, while electronics engineers work with smaller, more detailed components, like the parts inside your smartphone. Both careers require a strong understanding of electricity and electronics, but their projects and areas of focus are different. Some engineers may choose to specialize in one area, while others might work in both.

Continue reading

Engineering Specializations and Degrees

Careers

Degrees

Continue reading

See Also
Engineer Aerospace Engineer Agricultural Engineer Biochemical Engineer Biofuel Engineer Biomedical Engineer Chemical Engineer Civil Engineer Environmental Engineer Flight Engineer Geotechnical Engineer Geothermal Engineer Computer Hardware Engineer Industrial Engineer Marine Engineer Mechanical Engineer Mechatronics Engineer Mining and Geological Engineer Nanosystems Engineer Nanotechnology Engineer Nuclear Engineer Petroleum Engineer Photonics Engineer Power Engineer Product Safety Engineer Robotics Engineer Sales Engineer Security Engineer Ship Engineer Software Engineer Software Quality Assurance Engineer Systems Engineer Water Engineer Wind Energy Engineer Structural Engineer Locomotive Engineer Control Engineer Laser Engineer Optical Engineer Live Sound Engineer Digital Remastering Engineer Recording Engineer Industrial Engineering Technician Automotive Engineer Architectural Engineer Data Engineer Construction Engineer Manufacturing Engineer Machine Learning Engineer Civil Engineering Technician Mechanical Engineering Technician Automotive Engineering Technician Paper Science Engineer Solar Engineer Fuel Cell Engineer Pulp and Paper Engineer Mixing Engineer Mastering Engineer Game Audio Engineer Computer Engineer Electronics Engineer Stationary Engineer Water Resources Engineer Transportation Engineer Coastal Engineer Urban Planning Engineer Artificial Intelligence Engineer Audio Engineer Broadcast Engineer Fuel Cell Technician Naval Engineer Ocean Engineer Cloud Engineer Automation Engineer Natural Language Processing Engineer Computer Vision Engineer Big Data Engineer Plastics Engineer Electromechanical Engineer Renewable Energy Engineer Communications Engineer Digital Design Engineer Power Electronics Engineer RF Engineer Signal Processing Engineer Telecommunications Engineer