Typical work activities

Most electrical engineers work in a multi-disciplinary project team, which is likely to include engineers from other specialist areas as well as architects, marketing and sales staff, manufacturers, technicians and customer service personnel. They may also work with representatives from client organizations.

Depending on the employer, the electrical engineer may be involved at every stage of design and development or may just be involved at one particular stage. The nature of the role varies according to industry or sector, but the range of activities common to many posts is likely to include:

identifying customer requirements;

designing systems and products;

reading design specifications and technical drawings;

researching suitable solutions and estimating costs and timescales;

making models and prototypes of products using three-dimensional design software;

working to British (BS), European (EN) and other standards;

liaising with others in the design team;

liaising with clients and contractors;

attending meetings on site;

designing and conducting tests;

recording, analysing and interpreting test data;

proposing modifications and retesting products;

qualifying the final product or system;

servicing and maintaining equipment;

preparing product documentation, writing reports and giving presentations;

monitoring a product in use to improve on future design.

Electrical engineer

An electrical engineer focuses on designing, maintaining and improving products that are powered by or produce electricity. Sometimes, an electrical engineer will dedicate his or her time to a single electrical product or type of product, such as motors, generators, and wiring or communications systems. He or she often will design, assemble and test new devices. An electrical engineer might work on a single project for more than a year before it is completed and a new project can begin.

Although the terms “electrical engineer” and “electronics engineer” often are used interchangeably, some distinctions can be made. Electrical engineers typically focus on products that supply, generate or transmit electricity. Electronics engineers generally focus on products that use electricity as a power source for their electronics. For example, electronics engineers might design a car’s computer system, and electrical engineers would design the car's electrical system that supplies power to the computer system. Sometimes, however, both types of engineers are referred to as electrical engineers.

When beginning a project, an electrical engineer usually starts by determining the intended purpose of the product. He or she will then plan the circuitry and wiring of the electronic components. A prototype generally is built and extensive tests are conducted on it to make sure that it works as designed and that all of the components work well together. An electrical engineer might test existing products that have malfunctioned or broken to determine what went wrong and whether any design flaws can be corrected. He or she also might test other existing products to identify any problems and determine how their designs can be altered to improve the products.

Often working in a group with other engineers, an electrical engineer

- must be proficient in the use of a wide array of engineering and design software and a variety of laboratory equipment.

- must be able to provide detailed instructions for the manufacture and use of the final product.

- must create technical drawings, instructions and specifications that can be followed to ensure that the product will be properly installed and correctly operated. The engineer often is responsible for overseeing the installation of the product to ensure that it is installed properly and safely.

An electrical engineer might spend a significant amount of his or her time meeting with fellow engineers to discuss projects. They often work together to try to come up with solutions to the problems or challenges that they face while working on projects. The engineers might also discuss their research and testing procedures to determine whether they can be improved.

1. What is electricity really?

2. Does someone become an electrical engineer by degree or by work experience?

3. What is the difference between electrical and electronic engineering?