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Is Electrical Engineering worth it?

Is the pay for this program decent? What is the future employment outlook in 15 years?

#engineering #electricalengineering

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Ken’s Answer

The objective in life, and in college, is to determine a career focus that will result in a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction and an adequate income. The direction that your focus takes depends upon how well you get to know yourself to determine how your personality traits relate those who are successful in a particular career area. Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. You can locate them by asking your school academic advisor, favorite teachers, and the reference librarian at your local library. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
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Josh’s Answer

Yes! But there's much more to consider... Is EE interesting to *you*? Are you going to be happy in this kind of role for a significant portion of your career? Are you willing to put in the effort to achieve graduation in a very difficult major? Do you excel at complex math? Are you an excellent problem solver?


On a purely financial basis, being an EE can be pretty rewarding. Typical starting salaries average > $65,000 (https://www1.salary.com/Salaries-for-Electrical-Engineer-I-with-a-Bachelors-Degree or https://www.glassdoor.com/Salaries/electrical-engineer-salary-SRCH_KO0,19.htm). As you grow in your career, a successful EE can end up making easily into six figures - although much of that depends on your role, your industry, and your personal sacrifice. Remember though - the money sounds great but if you're miserable every day at work the money will not change that.


In terms of future value - I suspect EEs will continue to remain highly sought after and highly employable. I would recommend you consider brushing up on some software during college so that you have well-rounded skills. I certainly can't predict the future, but technology is not going away and much of that technology is developed in part by EEs. I don't see any slow down of that trend.

Josh recommends the following next steps:

Shadow or interview multiple different EEs to understand what possible career path options you would have and decide if it's what you want to do with your life.
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