Responsibilities of Electrical Engineers

Considering the speed at which technology is evolving, electrical engineering is an exciting field to enter, and electrical engineers are in high demand. Electrical engineers have a wide range of responsibilities and duties which focus on product design, testing, management and safety.

Electrical engineers design power delivery systems, electronic devices for homes and businesses, and electronic microchips for computer systems. During this phase of the process, electrical engineers oversee the design from conception, to paper and computer-aided design, to the first physical prototype for testing.

Product testing involves taking the electric device or system and running a series of stress tests to see if the device can do what it was designed to do. Some devices can be tested for months or years until the desired results are achieved. If a product fails the test, the engineer must determine why it failed and devise a solution for the problem. Once the solution is implemented, the testing process will start over.

Management for an electrical engineer can mean a number of things. Electrical engineers can manage the design and testing process of a device, or for larger projects they can manage a team of people working on a larger corporate level project. The ability to manage people and project processes is an important asset for any electrical engineer.

Any product designed to be used by the public must be safe. Electrical engineers provide the warning information and proper use information on all products they design. They are also responsible for following all local and federal rules, regulations, and safety standards to protect the public.

Electrical and electronics engineers earned a median annual salary of $96,300 in 2016, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. On the low end, electrical and electronics engineers earned a 25th percentile salary of $75,650, meaning 75 percent earned more than this amount. The 75th percentile salary is $121,510, meaning 25 percent earn more. In 2016, 324,600 people were employed in the U.S. as electrical and electronics engineers.