Electrical Engineers

What the job really is

Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

At a glance

• Sector: Architecture & Engineering
• O*NET-SOC code: 17-2071
• O*NET job zone: 4 — considerable preparation
• Work sample tasks on file: 12
• Tools and technologies listed: 12

What you actually do

Work sample tasks recorded for this occupation:

• Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
• Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
• Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
• Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
• Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
• Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
• Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
• Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
• Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
• Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
• Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
• Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.

Tools and technology

Apache Subversion SVN, Autodesk AutoCAD, Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D, Autodesk Revit, Bash, Bentley MicroStation, C, C#, C++, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks, ESRI ArcGIS software, ETAP

What employers expect you to already be comfortable with.

Where this job leads

Related occupations — the usual moves up and sideways:

• Electronics Engineers, Except Computer
• Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Mechanical Engineers
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment
• Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
• Mechatronics Engineers
• Industrial Engineers

Getting in

O*NET assigns this occupation job zone 4 (considerable preparation). The related occupations above are the realistic routes in and out.

Find openings

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Check this against the source

O*NET OnLine: Electrical Engineers — the authoritative public-domain profile this page is derived from, including the full task list, reported skills and the wage estimates for your region.

Derived and rewritten from the public-domain O*NET database (U.S. Department of Labor / Employment and Training Administration). Figures are observations, not promises — always confirm salary, licensing and visa requirements with the employer and the relevant authority.