If you like technology and you want to work with people as well as accomplishing something tangible, then electrical engineering courses are for you.
Things change so quickly that sometimes we feel tomorrow has already arrived! People working in today's electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering are making our world a better, safer and more enjoyable place for everybody. Together, these professionals:
- Ensure that things work at the touch of a switch, from rockets to light bulbs
- Create goods like TV's, CD's, mobile phones and computers, everyday products we all want
- Make certain that the quality is right and the products do the job they were designed to do
- Devise new and better systems, like communication satellites or advanced medical equipment for the diagnosis and the treatment of cancer.
As society demands more, technologists face new and bigger challenges. In tomorrow's world, these men and women, these electrical, electronic and computer engineers, will continue to lead the way in robotics, the information super highway and the application of intelligence…plus develop innovations not yet imagined! Dreams will be transformed intro reality thanks to the skills of the design, development and manufacturing engineers who make it all happen.
Your future in tomorrow's technology is already here!
People in the profession
People who work in this challenging profession take on all kinds of roles. People like:
- Men and women working in research, design and development
- Process and manufacturing engineers
- Software and systems engineers
- Information technologists
- Sales and marketing engineers
- Human resource and specialists
- Consultants
- Project managers
With so many opportunities it's hard to know where to start. At the core, there are three main sectors:
- Power
- Electronics
- Computing and control
So, there are many occupations within one profession, and each dependant on the other. These teams of individuals, each with different kinds of specialist knowledge, share an understanding or technological principals. The knowledge, skills and ideas they all bring to the solution of problems make work both exciting and enjoyable.
What do they say?
Here's what some young, professional electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineers have to say about their career choice and their future in electrical engineering
"I wanted a career that would offer me variety and a constant challenge. I made the right choice!" Mark Whittington, Project Engineer
"At 6th form college I attended an 'Insight into Engineering' course and decided this was for me." Rachel Gambro, Manufacturing Engineer
"It's a different challenge, if not every day, then every week" Clare Caswell, Telecommunications Engineer
"Engineers never get bored - they're always being challenged by some interesting problem" Roger Lee, 2nd year sponsored student, Cambridge University
"The best pair will be commissioning a control system for the Hershel telescope in the Canaries!" Victoria Austin, Electronic Engineer
"It's hard work but the satisfactions make it more than worthwhile" Paul Denton 2nd year sponsored student, University of Southampton
"If you like technology and you want to work with people as well as accomplishing something tangible, then electrical engineering is for you!" Tariq Khan, electrical Distribution Engineer
"There are many career paths open to anyone choosing electronic/electrical engineering. You'll never be tied down to one sort of job you can do anything!" Joanne Dodds Traffic Control Engineer
Choosing an electrical engineering degree course
You may like to try for a company sponsorship to assist you financially during your time at university. Even if you are not sponsored you may have an opportunity to spend some time in industry - you'' find it a worthwhile and enjoyable part of a higher education experience
Degrees in electrical, electronic and manufacturing engineering are not all the same. It's a bit like the industry - plenty of choice and variety. Some courses are longer than others. Some provide more time with companies, perhaps as a sandwich course student. Some universities are flexible about the subjects you choose to study. Increasingly there are chances to combine engineering with management or languages or other subjects, to broaden your qualification.
