Why you should do Electrical Engineering | Career Advice

Summary

In this video, Joe, a hardware engineer, passionately advocates for electrical engineering as a career choice. Despite its challenging curriculum, he highlights the high demand for electrical engineers, leading to better job security and competitive salaries. Joe shares his personal experience of securing a job quickly after graduation and emphasizes how the niche skills acquired are hard to learn outside of college. He also touches on the potential impact of AI on jobs, suggesting that electrical engineers are less likely to be replaced due to their specialized knowledge.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker, Joe, is an electrical engineer and hardware engineer at a defense company, advocating for the field of electrical engineering.
• 🔍 Joe suggests that electrical engineering offers a wide range of opportunities, including in big tech companies like Google and Microsoft.
• 🏢 Defense companies are highlighted as consistent employers in the engineering field, with a focus on national security.
• 🎓 Despite the challenging curriculum, electrical engineering graduates are in high demand and tend to secure jobs quickly post-graduation.
• 💼 Joe's personal experience shows that electrical engineers, unlike their software engineering counterparts, face less competition in the job market.
• 💰 The speaker emphasizes that electrical engineering skills are harder to self-learn due to the need for expensive equipment and practical experience.
• 🚀 Joe's journey includes overcoming financial barriers and academic challenges to successfully graduate and get a job in his field.
• 🏡 The cost of living and purchasing power are considerations when comparing salaries in different regions of the U.S.
• 💡 Electrical engineers often have a strong foundation in math and are well-prepared for advanced studies or careers in artificial intelligence.
• 🌐 The speaker predicts that the demand for electrical engineers will continue to outpace the supply, ensuring job security for those in the field.
• 🔧 Joe encourages those interested in tech to consider electrical engineering for its blend of practical skills, job prospects, and potential for high earning.

Q & A

What is Joe's profession and where does he work?

Joe is a hardware engineer working in a defense company.

Why does Joe believe that electrical engineering is a good choice for a career?

Joe believes that electrical engineering is a good choice because of the high demand for electrical engineers in the job market, the niche skills that electrical engineers possess, and the potential for job security and good pay.

What are some of the challenges Joe faced while studying electrical engineering?

Joe faced challenges such as the heavy math load, retaking classes to achieve desired grades, and the financial burden of paying for his education out of pocket.

How long did it take Joe to get a job after graduating with his electrical engineering degree?

It took Joe approximately a month and a half after graduation to get hired.

What was the size of Joe's graduating class in electrical engineering?

There were 15 students in Joe's graduating class for electrical engineering.

How does Joe compare the job prospects of electrical engineers to those of software engineers?

Joe suggests that while software engineers might have an easier time finding a job initially and potentially earn more, electrical engineers have a more niche skill set that is in high demand, making it easier for them to find jobs and providing job security.

What was Joe's initial career goal when he started university?

Joe initially aimed to play division one college soccer and was not certain about pursuing engineering.

What advice does Joe give to those considering electrical engineering as a major?

Joe advises that if you love tech and are interested in a secure and well-paying career, electrical engineering is a good choice. He also encourages persistence through the challenging coursework.

How does Joe view the impact of artificial intelligence on the future of engineering jobs?

Joe believes that AI will not replace programmers in the next 10 years but will make them more efficient, potentially leading to fewer job opportunities for software engineers.

What was Joe's first job offer after graduation and how much did it pay?

Joe's first job offer was in Baltimore, Maryland, and it paid $85,400 a year.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 The Appeal of Electrical Engineering

Joe Doy, a hardware engineer, shares his perspective on why individuals should consider electrical engineering as a career path. He highlights the job security, diverse opportunities, and the advantage of being in high demand within the industry. Joe contrasts the experience of electrical engineers with those in software and mechanical engineering, emphasizing the unique benefits of his field. He also touches on the importance of the equipment and resources typically available only within educational or professional settings, which are crucial for electrical engineering but not as necessary for coding careers.

05:01

🚀 Overcoming Challenges in Pursuing Electrical Engineering

The speaker recounts his journey from being a division one soccer player to an electrical engineering student at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. He discusses the challenges of balancing sports and academics, the financial burden of student loans, and the competitive nature of the engineering program. Despite the hardships, including having to retake classes, he persevered and ultimately graduated. The paragraph also covers his initial struggles in finding a job after graduation, the learning curve of creating a resume, and the advice from his father to broaden his job search beyond Texas.

10:02

💼 Transitioning from College to the Professional World

After graduating with an electrical engineering degree, the speaker faced the reality of job hunting with student loan debt looming. He initially focused on local opportunities in Texas but expanded his search nationwide upon his father's advice. This decision led him to secure a job in Baltimore, Maryland, with a competitive salary for a new graduate. However, he quickly realized the higher cost of living in his new location and the impact it had on his purchasing power. Despite the challenges, he gained valuable hands-on experience and insights into the industry, emphasizing the importance of electrical engineering skills in the job market.

15:02

🛠 The Versatility and Future of Electrical Engineering

The speaker advocates for electrical engineering as a versatile and future-proof career choice. He discusses the importance of having a strong foundation in mathematics and the ability to understand both hardware and software aspects of technology. He compares electrical engineering to software engineering, noting that while software engineers might start with higher salaries, electrical engineers have a unique advantage due to their niche skills and the increasing demand for their expertise. He also addresses the potential impact of artificial intelligence on job security and the importance of continuous learning and adaptation in the field.

20:04

🌟 The Long-term Benefits of Electrical Engineering

In this final paragraph, the speaker reinforces the long-term benefits of choosing electrical engineering as a career. He emphasizes the job security, potential for higher earnings as one gains experience, and the ability to bounce back quickly from layoffs or job changes. He also encourages those considering electrical engineering to pursue it, assuring them of the demand for their skills and the opportunities for growth within the field. The speaker concludes by inviting feedback and advice from other electrical engineers and reiterating his belief in the value of electrical engineering for personal and professional development.

Keywords

💡Electrical Engineering

Electrical Engineering is a branch of engineering that deals with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems which use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. In the video, the speaker encourages viewers to consider electrical engineering as a career path due to its high demand and job security. The speaker, Joe, works as a hardware engineer and shares his personal experience of having multiple job offers upon graduation.

💡Hardware Engineer

A hardware engineer is someone who designs, develops, and tests physical components of computers and electronic systems, such as circuit boards, processors, and memory devices. Joe mentions that he works as a hardware engineer in a defense company, emphasizing the diverse career opportunities available within electrical engineering.

💡Defense Company

A defense company is a type of business entity that provides products or services to military or defense forces. Joe highlights that defense companies are always hiring electrical engineers to support national security, indicating the critical role of electrical engineers in such organizations.

💡Job Market

The job market refers to the availability of jobs and the demand for labor in an economy. Joe discusses the job market to illustrate the relative ease with which electrical engineers can find employment compared to other fields, citing his own experience of receiving multiple job offers.

💡RF Engineer

An RF (Radio Frequency) engineer specializes in the design and development of wireless communication systems. Joe mentions being an RF engineer, indicating a specific area within electrical engineering where there is a demand for skilled professionals.

💡Student Loans

Student loans are financial instruments taken out by students to pay for their education. Joe talks about his $20,000 student loan debt, emphasizing the importance of securing a job quickly after graduation to start repaying these loans.

💡LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform often used for job searching and career development. Joe mentions receiving job offers through LinkedIn, illustrating how the platform can be a valuable tool for electrical engineers to connect with job opportunities.

💡Recruiters

Recruiters are professionals who seek out and approach potential candidates for job positions. Joe states that he frequently receives invites from recruiters looking for electrical engineers, underscoring the demand for electrical engineers in the job market.

💡STEM

STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Joe expresses his support for STEM fields, particularly electrical engineering, as a way to pursue a career in technology and innovation.

💡Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence refers to the simulation of human intelligence in machines that are programmed to think like humans and mimic their actions. Joe discusses the impact of AI on the job market, suggesting that while it may make some jobs more efficient, electrical engineers are still in high demand.

💡Embedded Systems

Embedded systems are computer systems designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions, as opposed to general-purpose computers. Joe mentions the need for engineers proficient in embedded systems, indicating another area within electrical engineering where skills are sought after.

Highlights

Joe Doy, a hardware engineer at a defense company, encourages pursuing electrical engineering.

Electrical engineers have diverse opportunities, including working for big tech companies like Google and Microsoft.

Defense companies offer stable employment and are always hiring electrical engineers.

Electrical engineering graduates face less competition for jobs compared to software engineering graduates.

Joe found job offers readily available on LinkedIn as an electrical engineer.

Hardware for electrical engineering is expensive, making self-study more challenging compared to software development.

Electrical engineering curriculum is math-heavy, which deters many students and results in a smaller graduating pool.

Joe's personal experience of getting hired within a month and a half of graduation.

Contrasting job market experiences between electrical and software engineering graduates.

Joe's journey from playing division one college soccer to becoming an electrical engineer.

The importance of electrical engineering skills that are difficult to acquire outside of a formal education.

Electrical engineers' advantage in the job market due to the niche nature of their skills.

The potential impact of artificial intelligence on software engineering jobs versus electrical engineering jobs.

Electrical engineers' ability to understand both hardware and software, giving them a unique advantage.

The higher likelihood of electrical engineers getting rehired quickly compared to other professionals.

Joe's recommendation for those unsure about their college major to consider electrical engineering.

The long-term earning potential of electrical engineers compared to other engineering fields.

The continuous demand for electrical engineers and the ease of finding new employment.

Joe's call to action for more people to join electrical engineering to contribute to technological innovation.

Transcripts

so everyone I just wanted a one-on-one

with you who's watching this video maybe

you're interested in going into

electrical engineering or maybe you're

already in in some type of engineering

major or profession such as software

engineering mechanical engineering or

any other those other professions and

you're curious on what are on if maybe

you should do electrical engineering so

I just wanted to have a one-on-one to

pretty much talk about why I believe or

why I think you should do electrical

engineering especially if you're not

somebody who has done it yet so first

and foremost uh my name is Joe doy

and I work as a hardware engineer in a

defense company there's a lot of choices

that you can do as an electric engineer

you can do um you can even go to Google

Microsoft or any one of the big tech

companies they usually pay more and

usually straight out of college a lot of

the times we are treated better in

defense companies defense is always

hiring we're always defending the nation

and I'm I'm in the Army as well so

that's definitely the place that I am

going to put a lot of time and effort in

now when it comes down to why I think

you should be an electrical engineer

Primal example is hey look at the

current job market right now right A lot

of people are if you check r Facebook

x.com if you check any of those sources

you'll find a lot of people saying that

they're struggling to find a job in this

job market

meanwhile me as an electrical engineer I

open up my LinkedIn and I'm always

having offers from other

companies asking hey would you be

interested into working for XYZ because

we did an electrical engineer we need an

RF engineer and I'm currently a hardware

engineer slrf engineer at the company

that I work for and whenever I graduated

the university

utrgv there was there was like 15 of us

that graduated with that degree well

across from us all the software and

computer science guys there was over a

100 people getting that

degree and you know we already know the

biggest difference between both degrees

is that you don't need a college degree

to be an amazing coder but it's much

more difficult to obtain main all the

electrical engineering skills when you

don't have the equipment cuz a lot of

the equipment we use are super expensive

and you're not going to go out of your

way to buy a function generator that

cost $5,000 for you to do a lab

experiment unless you're like Bill

Gates's son or something but for most of

us that ain't

happening so I'm I'm going to see if I

can flip the the camera so you guys can

see where I'm driving right now I'm

driving in San antono so so it can just

be more entertaining as I speak I know

I'm a sexy beast but hey I want you guys

to look at the uh Texas go you guys can

look at Tex I went to park to place the

camera in place for you guys all um

let's go ahead and minimize the screen

all right let's go back to what I was

saying

so

um when you compare electrical

engineering versus all the other

Majors Electro Engineers because of the

career curriculum is kind of very math

heavy a lot of people get scared of

attempting to complete the degree itself

and because of this whenever it comes

time to graduate there's a few of us and

the great the good thing about this is

that although there's a few of us that

complete the the degree and we start

working is whenever we're at the looking

for jobs we're more likely to get hired

right it took me approximately a month

and a half after graduation of 20 I

graduated December 2022 and I got hired

the first week of

February uh

2023 meanwhile most of my colleagues

that were in software engineering

degrees some of them took them 8 n 10

months to get a degree for a majority of

them it was around 6 months unless they

already had prior internship and I had

zero internship by the when I got hired

so let me break it down right I started

my university in 2019 with

utrgv and whenever I started at utrgv I

was actually going there to play soccer

division one college

soccer I got my associates degree at

longar college and my associates degree

was a 2-year programming associate of

Arts but it took me 3 years to do it

because I was paying out of pockets uh

coming from African parents they're

strong Believers of do not collect depth

when it comes to universities and things

as such so as a obedient son I was like

you know what I'mma to pay out of pocket

and complete

my my associates degree while completing

my associat degree I was working paying

my schooling parttime doing whatever I

could to succeed and over time I ended

up graduating after 3

years finally I'm trying to find a

university to go to and I didn't know

that I wanted to be an electrical

engineer I was still it was still up in

the air for me because I did not know

exactly what I needed to uh or what I

wanted to do in the long run engineering

was one of my thoughts but I always knew

that it was going to be very hard a lot

of math and being a division one athlete

and um doing engineering was something

that could be very very hard so I

actually went to University of Texas

real Grande Valley to go try to walk

onto the division one soccer team uh

fortunately things went my way and I

actually got accepted into the soccer

team and into the engineering program so

I fought my way through to graduate with

my electrical engineering degree

initially there was a lot of math it was

very hard you know I did have to retake

some classes that I didn't get the

grades that I wanted uh but over time as

long as I didn't quit I ended up being

successful now I had a lot of like when

I first started there in 2019 our

classes were pretty full we had a lot of

people uh in the course curriculum that

were trying to get their electrical

engineering degree but by the time I got

to junior year a lot of people already

dropped out switched over to electrical

from electrical to Mechanical or the

other uh engineering Majors that was a

very common thing by the time we made it

to graduation our we we never had a full

class in our senior design project there

was like 15 of us that was working on

senior design which was cool because

you're more intimate with those around

you like today there's people in my

engineering courses that like if I

needed a job and I wanted to work a

third company I could easily get a

recommendation and knowing that our

skill is very Niche level uh it's it

makes it much easier for us to get

jobs so I graduate uh from um utrgv and

then I start applying for jobs at this

point in time I've collected a total of

$20,000 of student loan dep from laun uh

from

utrgv and I know I need to start working

as soon as possible because I have 6

months until I got to start paying my

student loans back and being a fresh

graduate out of college you don't know

if the first job you're going to get is

going to give you enough money and I was

totally accepting for that

and I I went I started applying and I

wasn't getting any responses you know

it's a learning curve everybody that

comes out the college you got to learn

how to make your resume you got to make

it look nice and Ne if you guys want me

to make a video about that I can just

let me know in the comment section down

below so there was a learning curve

creating your um resume knowing exactly

what you need to do or pull on there to

get the certain job that you want and I

remember telling myself hey I just want

to stay in Texas I just want to look for

companies in Texas so I was just

applying locally and state locally and I

wasn't getting any responses 2 weeks in

and when I tell you I would wake up eat

breakfast and start applying to jobs

that's that that was all I did for the

first two weeks out of uh out of uh

College I did not want to break some

people want to take vacation which is

fine nothing against that but a man

needs to make his money so immediately I

was applying applying applying no

response no response no response two

weeks now right I'm thinking to myself

hey I've sent a lot of applications I

should have at least gotten at least one

interview but no so I thought to myself

I was like hey maybe it's because the

year is about to end they don't want to

hire anybody new yet so maybe that's why

so I give myself piece of May uh so

January finally came and I spoke to my

my my dad about it and he's like hey I

know you're looking for a job stop

limiting yourself to just being in one

state and coming straight out of

college uh my my dad said you want to

find a job anywhere in the United States

if they pay you well just go just go

take the leap of faith you're fresh

college kids you don't have kids you're

not married go ahead and go wherever you

got and so the first job I got straight

out of college uh was located in

Maryland Baltimore Maryland and I'm over

here in Houston Texas so that's a whole

20 almost a 24hour drive from where I am

at I literally drove this beautiful uh

car over there 21 24hour drive from

Houston all the way to

Baltimore but they offered me for my

first for my first year out of college I

got offered $85,000

85400 and I was happy for that right you

know living in Texas you're like oh yeah

wow I'm about to make 80 85 band up in

this joint uh

but I quickly learned when I got to

Baltimore that the living expenses are

way way higher than Texas I I I would

say I think I was probably making

$660,000 a year in Texas money if I were

to convert what I was making there and

my purchasing power in Maryland to my

purchasing power uh in Texas I would be

making around $60,000 a year in Texas my

my my my salary was good

uh but the area that I was living in

made it to where I couldn't buy a house

and I'm a big person when it comes to

buying a house but I had a job versus

all my colleagues that came out of

college who are still looking for jobs

while I'm already like 6 months in into

my profession getting some hand-to hand

skill learning about RF learning about

cool modules and learning how to be an

efficient electrical engineer in modern

day time

so don't don't even

like cuz I I was literally having a

conversation with um my friend's brother

he's 19 he's trying to figure out what

he should go to college for and I'm just

like man just do electrical engineering

right yes if you go as a software

engineer you're going to make a lot of

money initially boom if you get a job

you're probably going to get paid over

$100,000 but there's a difference

when you do that there's a um it's it's

much harder for you to get a job with no

experience in the in the workplace not

only that it's much harder so in today's

time you know with the new development

of artificial intelligence and a lot of

AI jbes on the rising a lot of

programmers are getting scared that

they're going to lose their jobs

personally I don't believe in our in the

next 10 years that AI is going to

replace our program

but I do think AI is going to make our

programmers more efficient in what they

do which could lead to having less

people employed because now they can use

Ai and leverage it to complete their

task way faster and you now you can only

you don't need to employ as many people

that's the only way I could see

artificial intelligence oh that's a nice

Corvette I like

that I've always liked Corvettes but but

I'm kind of on the Tesla Bing right now

so after I get my Tesla then maybe we

can talk about getting uh a

Corvette so

now back to uh man I forgot what I was

talking

about electrical

engineering I will always vouch for it

because it's such a niche engineering

yet it's a

highly highly

desired uh

position that a lot of companies a lot

of tech companies need you need Hardware

uh Engineers as Engineers there's just

so many embedded systems you have you

know they need Engineers that are really

good with verl Lo all these things that

electrical engineers learn a lot of

times when you go get your

degree and most most Engineers Learn

Python anyways right a lot of our

personal projects a lot needs us to

employ deploy our own coding into our

own projects but you don't get that

until you can actually code so you can

understand what you're actually

producing cuz whenever you're putting

Parts together maybe your board could be

running too hot so maybe it's a the

coding that you're putting into your

gpus or systems that you need to lower

it and so it could be Hardware but a a

strong power for electrical engineering

need to be able to do both now now okay

now we're talking

about what is really

separating electrical engineering from

software

engineering right you both do several

math courses but electrical engineering

you go a little in depth which helps

when you want to get a PhD or Masters

because in artificial intelligence

because you already did a lot of the

heavy math already right two software

Engineers they are really good at coding

but you can catch up to them

we just got to train and practice and

practice and practice and you can catch

up to most uh average software Engineers

but the reverse cannot happen most

software Engineers cannot go back and

learn circuits circuit design because

that's something that you actually have

to take a lot of time out of your day to

learn to make sure you understand and we

already went through that torture during

college but we weren't working fulltime

at the same time but if you're a

full-time software engineer and you're

trying to develop some electrical

engineering skills you're going to have

to sacrifice a lot of time and a lot of

people are not willing to sacrifice all

that

time

so so you already have a leverage by

being an electrical engineer

yes the course is going to be hard it's

not going to be

easy um but any anything in college is

not easy cuz if it was easy everybody

would be doing it but in today's time

60% of college graduates are women a lot

of us males aren't even going to college

yet alone the ones that do go to college

a majority of them that want to do

engineering want to do software

engineering or mechanical engineering

nobody wants to do electrical

engineering

no one imagine you graduate and there's

15 of you guys you can guarantee you all

will be employed within the next 6

months cuz it's equivalent to other

universities where a lot of people

prefer to other majors and now companies

need electric Engineers but there's not

enough of us which is great and I know

this is going to continue in the future

because people don't want to do all that

math people don't want to do all that

extra work when it can just get a

software engineer and make the same or

even yet

more but if you look at level that AI

the FYI and you look a lot of the senior

level positions a lot of these guys are

making similar pay to the software

engineers in those senior level

positions so it's almost as if initially

when you're you're new to the uh

initially when you're new

to to the

workplace you're not going to make as

much as a software Engineers but give

yourself some years in you're going to

start looking at them eye to eye and in

some cases you can even make more than

them but that's all about you know

developing your personal skills in

electrical engineer making sure you're

the most

powerful um person your company can have

because then when you bring value into

the workplace they'll bring they'll put

a value on you and you'll make more

money hey now so I can't control what

you want to do in college you can chase

your heart but if you love Tech I think

electrical engineering will be something

that will be very beneficial to your

life I always vote for stem but when it

comes to uh engineering I will always

put electrical engineering number one

because you could always get your

electrical engineering degree and skills

that are hard to get outside of school

and still go and Learn Python or

whatever coding skills you want to learn

and become the best at it because when

you look at a lot of these job

applications not applications but like

job listings for like software

engineering a lot of these positions say

they require a degree or a background in

computer science or computer programming

or something like that or other

equivalent engineering

degree right so and and a lot of the

times whenever they're listing like

computer science degree computer

programming degree or electrical

engineering degree it's included because

they assume that hey a lot of these

electrical engineers do learn how to

code and they're very proficient at it

not only that because they're electrical

engineers they can really understand

better how whatever they're coding on a

machine can correlate with the hardware

they're dealing with I I I I assume

maybe I could be wrong if you know

what's correct let me know in the

comment section down below but that is

my assumption if I was a hiring

manager that an electrical engineer

could

understand the correlation much better

versus just somebody who knows how theod

colding changes um the outcome of a

specific uh task we you're

given so I'm I'm I'm big like if you

don't know what you want to do in

college do electrical engineering I

guarantee you you will not have to worry

about looking for a job layoffs happen

in any any and every company it can

happen to anybody the problem is it's

not getting laid off is how can you

bounce back from that right you get laid

off today how harder is it for you to

bounce back that's the biggest thing and

electrical engineering puts you in a

position where it makes it very easy for

you to bounce back because I promise you

once you get let off at this company the

next company over there is already

looking for electrical engineers there's

not enough of us and as time goes on

people don't want to do the same math uh

so I encourage you if you want to get an

electrical engineering degree go get it

man um it's easier you you'll get a good

decent pay uh as you climb the ladder

you'll make more

pay and disguise your limit but the

biggest thing is you don't have to worry

as much as everybody else is finding

another job if you ever get laid off or

if you have to quit and move

somewhere you you will always be able to

find a

job uh much faster than most other

people like right now 202 4 we're in

August 2024 a lot of people can't even

find job listings online for them to

apply for I check my link in I'm always

getting invites hey from recruiters

looking for electrical engineers to join

whatever company in they're asking for

you know always always always getting

invites because there's not a lot of us

so if I can have any selling point to

you you know that as an electro engineer

you'll make good

pay and you'll always be

employed so take that how you will if

there's any other electrical engineers

that watch this video or if you have any

other advice for anybody else let us

know in the comment section down below

because also I'm not a senior level I'm

not I'm not a principal level electrical

engineer so there's still a lot that I

hav't learned but hey from everything

that I've gone through I've learned I'm

excited to tell you guys to go after it

cuz you won't regret it right I want to

sit here making this long video If it

did not matter to me but it matters a

lot to me and the more electrical

engineers we get today the more people

can contribute to the innovation of the

United States if you go to China there's

a lot of electrical engineers there's a

lot of software Engineers they're always

developing new tech day in and day night

day uh day in and day night but us on

the other hand Everybody's scared

because of some math problems nah forget

all that do it kill it and and join the

join the electrical engineering side all

right I think that's good enough I don't

think I missed anything but if if y'all

do think I miss something let me know

I'll see you guys next time all right

subscribe if you're new Jon is out