Career in Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Electrical engineering is one of the popular branches of engineering wherein students learn to design and supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment; build electrical components such as electric motors, radar and navigation systems, power generation equipment and electrical systems of automobiles and aircraft as well as test integrated circuits, capacitors and resistors. One, who has a good command over subjects like mathematics, science and information technology, has an option to make a career in electrical engineering.

Functional Areas:

Functional areas of an electrical engineer include rail electrification and signaling, solar paneling, drawing up circuit diagrams using computer-assisted engineering as well as testing electrical equipment and installations, and overseeing inspection programmes.

Educational Requirements:

There are various courses of electrical engineering in India including Undergraduate Degree (UG) Courses such as the BE/B.Tech (4 years) after 10+2, Post Graduate (PG) Degree Courses such as the ME/M.Tech (2 years) after BE/B.Tech and Doctoral Degree Courses such as the PhD (1-2 years) after ME/M.Tech.

Graduates need to qualify GATE (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering) to pursue postgraduate courses, which also enables them to earn scholarships from the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development of India. There are a number of higher studies options available after B.Tech/BE in electrical engineering such as:

• Power Electronics and Drives
• Applied Electronics
• Embedded Systems
• Very-Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) Design

Some universities offer a 5-year program that includes both a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree.

The course intends to teach students the application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism with minor emphasis on studying electronics, digital computers, telecommunications, and signal processing. Core subjects include electricity technology, circuit analysis, instrumentation, thermodynamics, and microprocessor interfacing.

Where To Study

There are a number of institutions in India that offer courses in electrical engineering such as:

1. Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi (IITD)
2. Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT Kharagpur)
3. Indian Institute of Technology, BHU-Varanasi
4. College of Engineering, Pune
5. National Institute of Technology, Rourkela (NIT-RKL)
6. Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT)
7. Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology (IIEST)
8. Zakir Hussain College of Engineering and Technology
9. National Institute of Technology, Raipur
10. Indian School of Mines (ISM)

Skills Required:

An electrical engineer needs the below traits:

• Ability to produce technical diagrams and analyse complex problems
• Strong decision-making skills
• Communication skills
• Good understanding of electrical safety regulations
• Public speaking and writing skills.

Job & Career:

Electrical engineers can get a job in engineering services firms. They can also be found working in process industries, robotics industries, transport industries, and navigation industries. Electrical engineers can work in atomic power plants and thermal power plants. Electrical engineers may further advance to supervisory positions, management positions, and engineering or program managers.

It is expected that the technological innovation will lead to increase in demand for electrical engineers in research and development. Other career options for electrical engineers include:

1. Electrical Engineering Technician, who builds electrical systems, repairs equipment and sets up tests.
2. Electrician, who installs wiring and electrical fixtures, troubleshoots problems and ensures compliance of all regulations and codes.

As India is struggling with providing electricity to almost all parts of the nation, the industry will require a lot of engineers in coming years to deal with the issue of power deficit. As per professional service firm KPMG and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), there are several other reasons for why electrical engineers have a better job prospects in India such as:

• India being the world’s third largest producer of electricity
• Growth in electricity production
• Expansion of power industry
• Indian government’s plan to add more power capacity during the five year plan for 2017-2022
• New projects underway

Job Profiles:

Work areas of an electrical engineer include:

• Blueprinting the circuit design
• Designing new electric components and testing equipment
• Dealing with electronic devices
• Controlling power devices for generating electricity
• Conversion of electrical systems
• Using innovative technologies for operation of electrical energy

Top Recruiters in India:

• Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL)
• Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited
• Crompton Greaves
• Reliance Industries Limited
• Hitachi
• TATA Power
• Jindal Steel & Power
• National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC)
• SIEMENS Limited
• Larson & Toubro
• Bajaj International Private Limited
• Centre for Electronics Design and Technology

Pay:

The salary for electrical engineers depends on industry, their experience and qualifications. As per data from PayScale.com, average annual salary for an electrical engineer stands somewhere around Rs. 3.0-3.5 Lakh, which increases with the skills like Visual Basic (VB) and Engineering Design, while those for a Senior Electrical Engineer remains Rs. 5.0-5.5 Lakh, which increases with the skills like C, AutoCAD, and Engineering Design. The pay-package for electrical engineers abroad is much higher as compared to India. (Source: PayScale.com).