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Career Details

17-2071.00 - Electrical Engineers


Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
178,400
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
180,200
Estimate
Change in Employment
+1,800
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+1%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • Confer with engineers, customers, or others to discuss existing or potential engineering projects or products.
  • Design, implement, maintain, or improve electrical instruments, equipment, facilities, components, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, or domestic purposes.
  • Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform engineering tasks.
  • Direct or coordinate manufacturing, construction, installation, maintenance, support, documentation, or testing activities to ensure compliance with specifications, codes, or customer requirements.
  • Perform detailed calculations to compute and establish manufacturing, construction, or installation standards or specifications.
  • Prepare specifications for purchases of materials or equipment.
  • Supervise or train project team members, as necessary.
  • Prepare technical drawings, specifications of electrical systems, or topographical maps to ensure that installation and operations conform to standards and customer requirements.
  • Compile data and write reports regarding existing or potential electrical engineering studies or projects.
  • Estimate labor, material, or construction costs for budget preparation purposes.
Supplemental
  • Plan or implement research methodology or procedures to apply principles of electrical theory to engineering projects.
  • Investigate or test vendors' or competitors' products.
  • Oversee project production efforts to assure projects are completed on time and within budget.
  • Plan layout of electric power generating plants or distribution lines or stations.
  • Assist in developing capital project programs for new equipment or major repairs.
  • Collect data relating to commercial or residential development, population, or power system interconnection to determine operating efficiency of electrical systems.
  • Conduct field surveys or study maps, graphs, diagrams, or other data to identify and correct power system problems.
  • Design electrical systems or components that minimize electric energy requirements, such as lighting systems designed to account for natural lighting.
  • Develop systems that produce electricity with renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, or biofuels.
  • Integrate electrical systems with renewable energy systems to improve overall efficiency.
  • Investigate customer or public complaints to determine the nature and extent of problems.
  • Inspect completed installations and observe operations to ensure conformance to design and equipment specifications and compliance with operational, safety, or environmental standards.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 93%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 86%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Mathematics
  • 80%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Design
  • 80%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 English Language
  • 73%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Physics
  • 67%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Production and Processing
  • 65%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Education and Training
  • 62%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Administration and Management
  • 59%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
 Mechanical
  • 58%
    Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
 Clerical
  • 57%
    Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
 Customer and Personal Service
  • 56%
    Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
 Chemistry
  • 50%
    Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Accelerometers
  • Digital oscilloscopes
  • Digital voltmeters DVM
  • Frequency drives
  • Inductance capacitance resistance LCR meters
  • Mixed signal oscilloscopes
  • Multimeters
  • Pulse generators
  • Pulsed current-voltage IV analyzer
  • Sampling oscilloscopes
  • Signal analyzers
  • Sweep oscillators
 Laboratory furnaces and accessories
  • Annealing furnaces
  • Diffusion furnaces
  • Doping tubes
  • Oxidation furnaces
  • Oxidation tubes
  • Tube furnaces
  • Vertical furnaces
 Viewing and observing instruments and accessories
  • Atomic force microscopes
  • Scanning electron microscopes SEM
  • Scanning tunneling microscopes STM
 Spectroscopic equipment
  • Auger electron spectrometers
  • Electrochemical CV dopant profilers
  • Imaging spectrographs
  • Photoluminescence spectrometers
  • Secondary ion mass spectrometers SIMS
  • Spectrometers
  • X ray photoemission spectrometers
 Computers
  • Computer servers
  • Laptop computers
  • Personal computers
 Cameras
  • Digital video cameras
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Electrical flow meters
  • Parameter analyzers
 Marking tools
  • Electrochemical etching devices
 Electronic manufacturing and processing machinery
  • Electron beam evaporators
  • Fog chambers
  • Linearization testbeds
  • Low pressure chemical vapor deposition LPCVD systems
  • Molecular beam epitaxy MBE systems
  • Photolithography equipment
  • Plasma ashers
  • Spin-coaters
  • Tube etchers
  • Vacuum chambers
  • Wafer steppers
  • Wet chemical clean benches
  • Wire bonders
 Laboratory decanting and distilling and evaporating and extracting equipment and supplies
  • Filament evaporators
  • Metal evaporation systems
  • Vacuum system/thermal evaporators
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Frequency counters
  • Noise figure meters
  • Programmable function generators
  • Signal generators
  • Spectrum analyzers
  • Synthesized continuous wave CW generators
  • Vector signal generators
 Computer printers
  • Laser printers
  • Plotters
 Fixed network equipment and components
  • Microwave automatic load-pull tuners
 Electronic and communication measuring and testing instruments
  • Microwave power meters
  • Network analyzers
  • Universal microwave transistor test fixtures
 Integrated circuits
  • Pattern generator systems
 Laboratory ionic equipment
  • Reactive ion etch systems
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Development software
  • Ada
  • Advanced boolean expression language ABEL
  • Altera hardware description language AHDL
  • C
  • C#HOT
  • C++HOT
  • Debugging software
  • Defect tracking software
  • Eclipse IDEHOT
  • Hardware description language HDL
  • Integrated development environment IDE softwareHOT
  • JHDL
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBAHOT
  • Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScriptHOT
  • Microsoft Visual StudioHOT
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Perforce Helix software
  • Practical extraction and reporting language PerlHOT
  • Programmable logic controller PLC code generation software
  • PythonHOT
  • Requirements management software
  • Sun Microsystems Java
  • Unified modeling language UMLHOT
  • Verilog
  • VHSIC hardware description language VHDL
 Content management software
  • Apache Subversion SVNHOT
 Industry specific software
  • APLAC
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DHOT
  • Autodesk RevitHOT
  • Automated material handling software
  • Availability prediction modeling software
  • Bentley MicrostationHOT
  • Cadence Allegro Design Entry Capture and Capture CISHOT
  • Cadence Encounter TestHOT
  • Chip design softwareHOT
  • Circuit simulation software
  • Computer aided design and drafting CADD softwareHOT
  • Computer aided design and drafting software CADDHOT
  • Computer aided design CAD softwareHOT
  • Computer aided manufacturing CAM software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAHOT
  • Dassault Systemes SOLIDWORKSHOT
  • Digital timing diagram editing software
  • Dynamic object-oriented requirements system DOORS
  • Electromagnetic analysis software
  • Electronic design automation EDA softwareHOT
  • Electronic engineering calculator
  • Embedded systems testing software
  • ETAP
  • Failure mode and effects analysis FMEA software
  • Failure mode effects and criticality analysis FMECA software
  • Failure reporting analysis and corrective action FRACAS software
  • Fault modeling software
  • Fault tree analysis FTA software
  • Field programmable gate array FPGA design softwareHOT
  • Finite difference time domain FDTD software
  • Finite element method FEM software
  • Floor planning softwareHOT
  • Functional verification software
  • Hewlett-Packard HP Semiconductor Parameter Analyzer
  • Isograph Markov
  • Keysight Technologies Advanced Design SystemHOT
  • Life cycle cost software
  • Logic synthesis software
  • MAGIC layout editorHOT
  • Matrix calculation software
  • Mean time between failures MBTF software
  • Mean time to failure MTTF software
  • Mentor GraphicsHOT
  • Mentor Graphics ModelSim
  • Microwave circuit simulation software
  • MinitabHOT
  • Optimization software
  • OrCAD CaptureHOT
  • Physical design softwareHOT
  • Power analysis software
  • Powersim PSIM
  • Printed circuit board design softwareHOT
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • Rapid prototyping software
  • Reliability analysis software
  • ReliaSoft Weibull++ 6
  • Schematic design entry softwareHOT
  • Signal integrity simulation software
  • Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICE
  • Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA softwareHOT
  • Synopsis Design Compiler
  • Synopsys PrimeTime
  • Systems analysis programs for hands on integrated reliability evaluation software SAPHIRE
  • Tektronix EZ-TEST
  • Test automation software
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • The MathWorks Simulink
  • Time and motion analysis software
  • Wonderware InTouch HMI
  • Zuken E3.schematicHOT
 Networking software
  • ATD protocol
  • X.25 Protocol
 Operating environment software
  • BashHOT
  • LinuxHOT
  • Microsoft WindowsHOT
  • Microsoft Windows ServerHOT
  • Shell scriptHOT
  • UNIXHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Data entry softwareHOT
  • Microsoft SQL ServerHOT
 Information exchange software
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareHOT
  • IBM NotesHOT
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft OneNote
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft VisioHOT
  • Microsoft WordHOT
  • SmugMug FlickrHOT
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Microsoft ProjectHOT
  • Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio ManagementHOT
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
  • Residential Electronics Systems Integrator - Environmental Control
    5 Depot Street, Greencastle, IN 46135765-653-8262

  • Residential Electronics Systems Integrator - Security/Surveillance
    5 Depot Street, Greencastle, IN 46135765-653-8262

  • Residential Electronics Systems Integrator - Closed Circuit TV
    5 Depot Street, Greencastle, IN 46135765-653-8262

  • Residential Electronics Systems Integrator - Computer Networking
    5 Depot Street, Greencastle, IN 46135765-653-8262

  • Residential Electronics Systems Integrator - Audio/Video
    5 Depot Street, Greencastle, IN 46135765-653-8262

 Advanced
 Unknown
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Rappahannock Community College
Wytheville Community College