In India, almost every other Engineering college or Technological institutes offer a both Undergraduate and Postgraduate degree in Electrical Engineering. It is considered to be one of the most difficult specializations in the field of Engineering. It involves a lot of analysis and a practical-oriented approach. Around 395 students out of 1000 students, pursuing engineering, choose Electronics as their specialization. India produces around 15 lakh engineers every year, yet there is a lack of skilled engineers in the country.
There are many private and government institutions which offer Bachelor's and Masters in Electrical Engineering throughout the country, like BITS Pilani, IITs, NIT Delhi, NIT Durgapur etc. The courses offered are either a B. Tech in electrical engineering, B.E. in electrical engineering or M.tech in Electrical Engineering or M.E. in Electrical Engineering.The average course fees range from anywhere between INR 25,000 per year to Rs. 400,000 per year.
The job market for electrical engineers will grow in the coming years, considering the increase in the manufacturing of various electrical raw materials and goods. The top hiring companies are Bajaj Electronics, IBM, Reliance power, and so on and so forth.
Table of Contents
- Career as an Electrical Engineer: Quick Facts
- What is the job of an Electrical Engineer
- Steps to follow to become an Electrical Engineer
- Types of Electrical Engineer
- Career as an Electrical Engineer in India
5.1 How to become an Electrical Engineer After 12th
6.1 Diploma in Electrical Engineering
6.2 B. E. or B. Tech in Electrical Engineering
6.3 M. E. or M. Tech in Electrical Engineering
7.1 UK
7.2 USA
7.3 Canada
7.4 Australia
10.2 Specialization Wise
10.3 Gender Wise
10.4 Experience Wise
Career as an Electrical Engineer: Quick Facts
| Industry | An Electrical engineer is needed in every industry which is driven technically. The recruitment of electrical engineers is moreover in the field of manufacturing of communications systems, electric motors, radar and navigation systems or Power generation equipment. |
| Eligibility | a student must complete their 10+2 with Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English as primary subjects. |
| Average starting salary | Rs. 300,000 to Rs. 400,000 |
| Job opportunity | The job opportunity is comparatively high for electrical engineers in India and abroad as well. |
What is the job of an Electrical Engineer?
There are a range of jobs and responsibilities that are performed by an Electrical Engineer on his / her daily routine. Listed below are few of them for your reference,
- An electrical engineer designs, develops and maintains the electrical control systems and components to required specifications.
- They also can supervise the manufacturing of the electrical equipment like electric motors, radar and navigation systems, communications systems or Power generation equipment.
- They can design systems for automobiles and aircrafts, as well.
Steps to follow to become an Electrical Engineer
To be an electrical engineer, one must be good at science and mathematics subjects, primarily, in their school-years. This ability could help them secure good colleges in the future. Although, there are many institutes offering a Bachelor’s in Electrical engineering, not all institutes are able to provide all of their students with good job opportunities at the end of the degree. Moreover, getting placed is solely based on the abilities of the student alone and not the institute.
Following are the basic steps towards pursuing a career in the field of electrical engineering:
Step 1: Complete your 10th grade with a good percentage and keep all the basic, fundamental and dynamic concepts of the syllabus, especially related to the science and mathematics fields, perfect.
Step 2: After completing your 10th grade, continue with pursuing the 12th grade from the stream of science field only, with Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry and English as primary subjects.
Step 3: Complete your 12th boards exams, with flying colors and go on to take the various national and important entrance tests like JEE, BIT-SAT, etc.
Note: Different Institutes may have different entrance tests.
Step 4: Secure an admission in a good institute offering a B. E. or a B. Tech in Electrical Engineering.
Step 5: Secure good pointers and credits during your engineering.
Step 6: Find yourself a job in the industry via placements or off-campus interviews.
OR
Step 6: Continue to pursue Higher studies in order to gain expertise in the field.
Types of Electrical Engineers
There are two streams or branches within electrical engineering for the students to pursue, namely, ECE and ENTC. The basic difference between ENTC and ECE is that the syllabus, the former focuses on communications systems and the latter focuses on electronic devices and software applications. Both of the branches are moreover similar to each other, in few colleges ENTC is offered, while in few others ECE is offered.
A student pursuing a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering may come across the following classification within the field and may get to work in the following fields:
Micro Electrical Engineer
Microelectronics is a class of electrical engineering that focuses on the design of small/ minute electronic parts, like the circuit boards, semiconductors and microchips that are used in the design of instruments of electronic, new biomedical, information technologies, aerospace devices and systems. The engineer who is concentrated in this field of engineering develops plans and builds prototypes of electronic circuit chips, circuit boards and semiconductors. They also develop novel designs and perform specialized tests and analyze the varying data which is produced with respect to the performance of new models.
The students pursuing a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering can concentrate on this field and acquire greater job opportunities.
Electrical engineering
The students who are already pursuing a Bachelor’s in electrical engineering usually work in this domain, which focuses on the large-scale electrical systems such as power transmission, motor control, utilization of electricity and transmitting energy. They design and develop new electrical systems and test equipment and solve problems. They hold the ability to work on a diverse range of technologies within the field, like telecommunication systems, appliances, lighting and wiring of buildings, etc.
Instrumentation Engineer
The candidates who concentrate on the field of instrumentation engineering typically work in the automated processes sector in the industries. They improve the productivity, safety, reliability, stability and optimization in the field of instruments. They focus on the designing, developing, installing and managing the equipment that are under use, to monitor and control the machinery. They are also held responsible for integrating the sensors with the recorders, displays, control systems or transmitters. They also test and maintain the electrical systems.
This is one of the best options for an electrical engineer who possesses the ability to analyze and think out of the box and translate project needs into a designing and development of the hardware which is suitable for the tasks.
Telecommunications Engineer
The candidates pursuing telecommunication engineering examine the new network technologies and offer suggestions regarding the integration of the systems. They are responsible to ensure the network availability and provide necessary maintenance and support. They are experts in managing the data which includes voice calls, text messages, video calls, etc. They install and design different telecommunication equipment and work in the vast field of instruments from radio and television to satellite, computer networks, the internet and optical fiber.
This is also a good career option for the students who wish to pursue this and who has the knowledge of logging and database tables, experience with designing and implementation of LAN, WAN, Wireless LAN and WWAN and fair technical understanding of network hardware, Internet standards and protocols.
Electrical Design Engineer
The candidates who pursue a degree in Electrical Engineering has an option to be an engineer who provides an expertise in the field of designing. They design new electrical systems for various applications. They are also responsible for developing system specifications and layouts. The research systems develop a plan for making these systems with the help of the computer applications. Electrical design engineers mostly test the systems and make changes with regards to it. They provide support to the manufacturing unit throughout the designing of the electrical systems. It is a good career option after the completion of Bachelor’s in electrical engineering for an individual who possess analytical, solution-oriented skills and a hard-working ability.
Career as an Electrical Engineer in India
To become an Electrical Engineer in India, a student must inculcate the scientific temperament, communication as well as analytical skills and professionalism. The student must be good at Science and mathematics in their school level education.
The school level Preparation includes, getting exceptionally well at all the scientific concepts and principles, especially that of Physics and Chemistry, along with being well versed with all the theorems and formulae in Mathematics. Students must understand and keep in mind the basic principles relating to the AC and DC during their secondary Education. In the Higher-secondary education, the student gets to learn the basic principles and concepts of Electromagnetism, Electrodynamics, Electrical Circuits, Current Electricity, Semiconductors, etc., these topics must be thoroughly learnt by the students who wish to pursue Electrical Engineering in the future.
How to Become an Electrical Engineer After 12th?
Mentioned below are few of the top requirements and other prerequisites that must be done in order to build a career as an Electrical Engineer,
- UG Preparation: The UG level preparation includes practical applications over theoretical knowledge. The UG courses include a Bachelor of Engineering ECE/ENTC or Bachelor of technology in ECE/ ENTC. The Electronics Engineering involves aspects like Power engineering, Control Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Microelectronics, Signal Processing, Telecommunications, Instrumentation, Computer Engineering, Electro-optical Engineering, Distribution Engineering. Along with all the core subjects taught during the UG level Preparation, the student is also obligated to learn and master the programming languages as these languages are highly used in the commanding of electronic devices.
- PG Preparation: The PG courses offered in Electrical Engineering are a Master of Engineering ECE/ENTC or Master of technology in ECE/ ENTC. The PG-level courses ensure that the students develop an expertise in the field of electrical engineering, especially in the branch which they are interested in. Basically, the master’s courses are focused on developing the practical and project-based approach by the students. The students who wish to pursue expertise and higher education in the field in order to pursue academics in the future usually go for M. E. or M. Tech.
Some of the top colleges Colleges offering Electrical Engineering courses are
Courses to Become an Electrical Engineer
There are several Undergraduate Postgraduate and Diploma courses that can be availed to become an Electrical Engineer. Mentioned below are few of them along with their eligibility and other prerequisites.
Diploma in Electrical Engineering
Admission Process: The admissions for Diploma in Electrical Engineering, in India, requires a student to complete their secondary education, which is up to 10th standard. While the admissions are taken according to the merit of the student and seats available in that institution.
Note: A student can complete their diploma and join the 2nd or 3rd year of engineering through the bridge course in order to acquire an undergraduate degree in Engineering.
Eligibility criteria: The student must have completed standard 10th.
Entrance Exam: The admissions to the diploma course is completely based on merit of the student in 10th standard. Hence, no entrance exam needed.
B. E. or B. Tech in Electrical Engineering
Admission Process: The admissions to B. E. or B. Tech courses in India, for any specialization, requires students to crack various entrance exams along with a good percentage in 12th board exams. A good rank in these entrance exams could help the student secure an admission in a good engineering college.
Eligibility criteria for Exam: The students who wish to give the entrance exams for engineering shall complete their Higher-secondary i.e. 10+2 with minimum 55% aggregate in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and English.
M. E. or M. Tech in Electrical Engineer
Admission Process: The admissions for M.E. or M. Tech, in India, requires a student to complete their Undergraduate degree in Engineering. The student must also crack the national level exams like GATE, in order to successfully secure an admission in good institutes for the post-graduation.
Eligibility criteria: The student must have completed their UG in Engineering with Electrical Engineering as their specialization.
Entrance Exam: The students who wish to pursue an M. E. or M. Tech in Electrical Engineering are required to crack the GATE exam (Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering). The exam is usually conducted in the month of February and hence, the exam has been conducted for this year, the following details are provided regarding the exam to be conducted in the year 2022.
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Application form release date | To be notified |
| Application form last date | To be notified |
| Exam date | To be notified |
Course Admission: Important Tips
To get admission into any engineering institution the students have to be a flag-bearer of excellence. They must apply to the entrance exams and be thoroughly prepared in order to crack them.
How to Apply for the Exam?
The forms for the JEE mains exam are out for the academic year 2023. The following steps are required to be followed by any candidate who wish to apply for any of the entrance exams:
Step 1: Visit the official portal of the entrance test conducting agency.
Step 2: Click on the exam title or portal on the website.
Step 3: Register into the portal by providing all the relevant details required.
Step 4: Upload the scanned documents required for the registration
Step 5: Pay the amount of application fees required
Step 6: Submit the application form after checking for mistakes in the application.
How to Prepare for the exam?
Listed below are few of the basic tips that can be followed by students aspiring to become Electrical Engineers
- The student must always go by the syllabus provided on the official website of the test conducting agency.
- In order to crack these exams, the student must have a preview of the exam, which will be easily found on the internet.
- The student must make a strategy to prepare for the exam and always stick to the plan made by them. Studying consistently and persistently might help ace the preparation.
- The student must include the previous year questions and mock tests in order to ensure and examine their study. One must keep going!
Career as an Electrical Engineer Abroad
There are many students who wish to pursue their education abroad, after their 12th boards, and not many know this, but this is possible. The Scope for Electronic engineering is even more abroad, this ensures the easy process for acquiring a job in Electrical Engineering, abroad. The top countries offering degrees in Electronic Engineering are The United States of America, The United Kingdom, Germany, France, Australia, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Belgium and Sweden. These countries also provide the best job opportunities in the world.
- One should research the various colleges and the admission processes in order to secure admission abroad. This could be a very tedious task, hence, starting very early on in your journey could help you save a lot of time later.
- The competition could be a little less here, but it becomes even harder in case of the quality of your application, as you compete on an international level, with the students of the other Countries.
- The English-speaking countries may need a TOEFL or IELTS examination score in order to ensure your fluency in the English Language, whereas the VISA for visiting the country as well as staying there is a necessity.
- The educational requirements are very basic. The student must have completed their secondary education or high-school from a recognized board and must have scored phenomenal marks, in order to increase the chances of admission. Or In order to pursue their Master’s abroad, the students must complete their Under-graduation in B.E. or B. Tech
Career as an Electrical Engineer in UK
- There are around 105 institutions in the UK which offer Electrical Engineering Courses and degrees.
- Around 485,645 international students were reported to study in the UK, in 2018/19. 342,620 students were non-EU.
- In the UK, the students get to undertake degrees like MSc Electrical power Systems, MSc Electrical Engineering, MSc by Research in smart Energy Systems, MSc by Research in Quantum Electronics and communications, etc. Which are more concentrated.
- An electrical Engineer has a demand in the UK with a whooping average salary of £33,404 p.a.
Top Colleges
| College Name | Average Fees (INR) |
|---|---|
| University of Portsmouth | INR 1,705,700 |
| Imperial college of London | INR 3,359,700 |
| University of Glasgow | INR 2,584,400 |
| University of Manchester | INR 2,584,400 |
| University of Nottingham | INR 2,500,000 |
Career as an Electrical Engineer in USA
- There are 428 institutions in the USA which offer various degrees in Electrical Engineering.
- The USA reported an increase of 28% of international students studying in the state, in the time period of 2011/12 and 2017/18.
- MS in Electrical Engineering, Master in Electrical Engineering are some of the courses offered at USA universities.
- An electrical engineer has an increasing demand in the USA with a salary of $111,000 USD p. a.
Top Colleges:
| College Name | Average Fees (INR) |
|---|---|
| Harvard University | INR 3,499,800 |
| John Hopkins University, Baltimore | INR 4,319,000 |
| Columbia University, NYC | INR 3,500,000 |
| Cornell University | INR 4,500,000 |
| Princeton University | INR 4,021,000 |
Career as an Electrical Engineer in Canada
- There are around 60 universities offering Electrical Engineering in Canada.
- Around 642,000 international students go to Canada every year.
- M. E. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering, B.E. in Electrical engineering are some of the courses offered in Canada.
- An electrical engineer receives approximately $70,424 p.a. in Canada. The job opportunities are high here.
Top Colleges:
| College Name | Average Fees (INR) |
|---|---|
| University of Toronto | INR 3,351,500 |
| McGill University | INR 1,042,700 |
| McMaster University | INR 1,861,900 |
| University of Alberta | INR 600,000 |
| University of Montreal | INR 745,000 |
Career as an Electrical Engineer in Australia
- There are 33 institutions offering Electrical Engineering Courses in Australia.
- Australia saw over 73% increase in the total international students’ intake between 2011/12 and 2017/18.
- Diploma in Engineering Electrical Engineering, Diploma in Telecommunications engineering, M.E. Electrical Engineering, Master of advanced Engineering are some of the courses offered in Australia.
- The average salary of an Electrical Engineer in Australia is around $76,196 p.a. There is a good market for electrical engineers to have a good scope.
Top Colleges:
| College Name | Average Fees |
|---|---|
| Monash University | INR 5,125,200 |
| University of Adelaide | INR 4,800,000 |
| University of Melbourne | INR 6,239,316 |
| Australian National University | INR 5,570,900 |
| University of Sydney | INR 6,570,900 |
Benefits of Career as an Electrical Engineer
The students of electrical engineering can pursue a career in the Aerospace Engineering, Power Generation and Telecoms, Chemical and Electronics, Materials, metals and oil and gas, Defense, Marine and Railways, radio-frequency Engineering, Signal Processing, Microelectronics, Control Systems, Power Engineering, Telecommunications.
There is no industry which does not depend on machinery, while all the machinery requires commands, which are generated and supplied electrically. Hence, an Electrical Engineer becomes an important part of any industry. The job opportunities in this sector will be increasing in the near future.
The following are some good reasons to pursue electrical engineering:
- You can get to work abroad: An electrical engineer has a lot of importance and is needed in and outside of the country. The manufacturing processes are highly developed outside the country and that is why Indian electrical engineers have a demanding job there.
- Electricity and Power will not be the only focus: Electrical engineering has spread its wings in the departments of control systems, telecommunications, microelectronics, nanotechnology, signal processing, etc.
- Electrical Engineering degrees are affordable: The master’s degrees in electrical engineering are very popular in the world and have comparatively less fees than courses like MBAs, even abroad.
- DIY electronic goods at home: An electrical engineer can make an exact replica of an iphone sitting at the comfort of their house. You can make your own systems and devices rather than buying them from the market for double the price.
- The industry is ever booming: New and New gadgets come out all the time in the market, which ensures that the people are excited for the new features i=within a device all the time. This makes the job very dynamic.
- Join the elite: Alexander Graham Bell, Michael Faraday, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, Nikola Tesla, Alessandro Volta and Robert Watson-watt are all electrical engineers who have built the whole world, a foundation base in the field of electronics. You may join the list next!
- Get a job easily: Engineering graduates receive their first jobs very easily, provided they have good scores in all the semesters, as the demand for the job is increasing day by day.
Skills Required to become an Electrical Engineer
The list of skills required by an electrical engineering are tabulated below,
| Technical Knowledge | Scientific Temperament | Programming Languages |
| Analytical Skills | Communication Skills | - |
Average Salary of Electrical Engineer
This section will elaborately discuss the salary structure of an Electrical Engineer based on various segregations as mentioned below,
Average Annual Salary
| Name of Organization | Avg. Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Government | Rs. 700,000 approx. |
| Private | Rs. 500,000 approx. |
Specialization wise
| Specializations | Salary in Lakhs |
|---|---|
| Electrical Engineer | Rs. 3.85 Lac |
| Sr. Electrical Manager | Rs. 6 Lac |
| Professor | Rs. 9 Lac |
| Mechanical Engineer | Rs. 3 Lac |
| Maintenance Engineer | Rs. 3 Lac |
| Lecturer | Rs. 2 Lac |
Gender wise salary
| Gender | Salary |
|---|---|
| Male | Rs. 750,000 approx. |
| Female | Rs. 500,000 approx. |
Experience Wise
| Experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Fresher | Rs. 400,000 avg. |
| Experienced | Rs. 12,00,000 avg. |
What After Electrical Engineering
Higher-education
The students who wish to pursue higher education may opt for a master’s course in the field. The M. E. and M. Tech in Electrical engineering ensured better job opportunities and a career in academia as well. One can become a lecturer after M. tech.
Jobs and Internships
The job opportunities for the future electrical engineers is highly increasing. The meritorious students can apply for various internships and training and workshops offered by many companies, during their education. These are some of the private companies which recruit the skilled electrical engineers throughout the country:
- Reliance Power
- Siemens India
- Tata steel
- Tata motors
- IBM
- BMW group
- Shell oil company
- HBL Power systems ltd.
- NALCO
- CIL
- Rockwell
- Bajaj Electronics
- Alstom
- ABB
- Larsen & toubro (L & T)
- Crompton greaves ltd.
- Spectrum Power Generation ltd.
- SAIL
- PGCIL
- Jindal steel & Power ltd.
- Schweitzer Engineering laboratories
Career as an Electrical Engineer: FAQS
Quest: What does an Electrical Engineer do?
Ans. Well, can you imagine a life without electricity? a day when the lights go out is a hectic day. The electrical engineers safeguard, design, develop and analyze the applications of electricity in order to enhance the productivity and manufacturing of the essential electrical goods in the market. An electrical engineer, hence, remains an important part of any industry as it maintains the electrical systems within the overall machinery and infrastructure of the company.
Quest: What is the salary of an electrical engineer?
Ans. Electrical Engineers receive a good salary package, considering the skills and the overall qualifications of the individual. The average starting salary of an electrical engineer is between the range of Rs. 300,000 to Rs. 400,000, whereas the experienced engineers receive anywhere between Rs. 700,000 to Rs. 1,400,000. If the candidate receives a job abroad, their starting salary may be around $ 50,000 USD, which of course, would increase with the increasing experience.
Quest: Which field in electrical engineering has more scope?
Ans. With the electronic boom and Information technology boom in India, the scope of jobs in the computers field has witnessed a remarkable increase. Hence, it is advisable that all the electronics students opt for Electronics & communications Engineering as their subject. Although, it also depends on person to person and their interest in the various aspects of the field. Be it telecommunications, chemical electronics or microelectronics, etc.
Quest: What role does an electrical engineer play in the industry?
Ans. An Electrical Engineer is one of the most responsible jobs in the industries, especially with respect to manufacturing of goods, as the machinery is completely dependent on the electrical systems within the machinery. Although, the role depends on the expertise of the electrical engineer gained throughout his career and also the kinds of projects they are undertaking.
Quest: What is the kind of college life of an electrical engineer?
Ans. Every electrical engineer has to undertake the basic courses in the field viz. Circuit analysis and design, Digital systems, Dynamics, Electrodynamics, Electric Components and tools, Semiconductor technology, Statics, etc. Their life is as similar as to any other engineering pursuing student and includes the daily contact of wires and electrical chips.
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