Electrical Engineers

The Real Timeline

This is a different road than the rest of the trade, built on a degree and formal licensure instead of an apprenticeship. Here's how it typically looks, stage by stage.

Bachelor's Degree + EIT

Practicing Electrical Engineer

Licensed PE / Senior Engineer

You earn a four-year electrical engineering degree, then pass the Fundamentals of Engineering exam to become an Engineer in Training.

You're designing electrical systems, running calculations, and working toward professional licensure. Median annual wage: $120,630. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.

With a Professional Engineer license and years of design experience, senior engineers stamp drawings and lead major projects. Top 10 percent of earners make more than $184,300 a year. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025.

The Real Work

Design work runs on calculations, software, and code compliance, and here's what fills the day.

• Design electrical systems for buildings, equipment, or infrastructure using CAD and simulation software

• Run load calculations and specify panels, wiring, and equipment sizing

• Ensure designs meet electrical code and safety standards before construction begins

• Review shop drawings and answer field questions from electricians during a build

• Test and validate prototypes or new system designs

• Collaborate with architects, mechanical engineers, and contractors on larger projects

Know Yourself

This role rewards analytical thinking and comfort with formal technical standards more than hands-on trade instinct.

• Strong in math and physics, this work runs on real calculations

• Comfortable with design software and technical documentation

• Detail-oriented, an error in a design can cause real problems during construction

• Patient with formal processes like code review and licensure exams

• A clear communicator, translating design decisions for electricians and contractors

• Curious about how electrical systems actually work, not just how to install them

A Real Workday

Here's what an actual day on the job can look like.

Your morning starts at your desk running load calculations for a new commercial building's electrical distribution system, confirming panel sizing will handle the client's projected equipment load. Midday brings a call from an electrician on-site at a different project, asking you to clarify a detail on a panel schedule you designed weeks ago before they run into an inspection issue. In the afternoon, you're in a design review meeting with the mechanical engineer and architect, making sure the electrical, HVAC, and structural plans don't conflict once construction actually starts. Later, you update a drawing set based on a code requirement you'd overlooked, catching it before it becomes an expensive change order in the field. Is electrical engineering a desk job? Mostly, yes, though the occasional site visit to confirm a build matches your design keeps it from being purely theoretical. Some days are heavy on calculations and modeling software. Others are spent in meetings coordinating with every other trade on a project. Either way, you go home knowing the systems electricians install tomorrow exist because you designed them right today.

THE GEAR

This is what actually fills your screen and desk, day to day.

CAD Software

Simulation Software

Load Calculation Tools

Draws and drafts electrical system designs.

Models system performance before it's built.

Sizes panels, wiring, and equipment accurately.

Code Reference Materials

Laptop or Workstation

Multimeter

Confirms every design meets current standards.

Runs the design software this role depends on.

Verifies real-world readings on occasional site visits.

Get Started

Here's the real path in, and it starts earlier than the rest of the trade.

Earn an Electrical Engineering Degree

Pass the FE Exam

Explore Testing & Certs

An ABET-accredited program is the standard starting point.

Becomes an Engineer in Training, a real step toward licensure.

See every certification path Advancing the Trades offers.

Common Questions

Is this the same career path as being an electrician?

Do I need a PE license to work?

No, this requires a four-year degree and follows an entirely different path than the apprenticeship trade.

Not always, but it's required to stamp drawings and take on certain senior design roles.

Is this mostly office work?

Can this connect back to the trade?

Yes, mostly design and calculations, with occasional site visits.

Yes, electrical engineers often work closely with electricians and contractors on real builds.

Keep Exploring

Ready to Start

Explore certifications and every career this trade offers.

Pay figures on this page are national averages from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other public sources. Actual pay varies by state, city, employer, and experience, so use these numbers as a starting point, not a guarantee, and research wages in your specific area before making a decision.