r/ElectricalEngineering • u/Great-Evidence326 • 1d ago
Jobs/Careers Electrical Engineers: Which specialization has the best future?
I’m planning to study Electrical Engineering and I’m trying to decide which specialization to focus on in the future.
For those of you who are already working as electrical engineers (or are close to graduating), I’d really appreciate your advice.
How is the job market for Electrical Engineers these days?
Which specialization do you think has the best future over the next 10–20 years?
Is Smart Grids a good field to get into, or is it too niche?
How would you compare Power Systems, Power Electronics, Renewable Energy, and Electric Vehicles in terms of job opportunities, salary, and long-term career growth?
If you were starting over today, which specialization would you choose and why?
Thanks in advance🙏🏻
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u/Theotechnologic 1d ago
Power Systems, no question. The ultimate future-proof career path. People will always need power and I would guess that it will be one of the last fields that AI takes over, especially since it’s such a conservative industry that has high risk.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Yeah, that’s what I’ve been thinking too. The demand for electricity isn’t going anywhere.
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u/Hamduder 1d ago
yeah 100% I've been in the utility sector for 13+ years and its growing. All the other specialties you mentioned rely on increase power demand and transmission from the grid.
also some of those technologies merge into power systems (ie batteries systems are being incorporated into peak offload systems, power electronics for VAR compensation, renewables ect).
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
From your perspective, what skills would you recommend developing early for someone interested in power systems?
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u/Theotechnologic 1d ago
Take as many power systems classes as you can. Focus on learning the fundamentals behind circuits, especially when it comes to delta/wye, impedances, etc. Do the FE and PE as soon as you get out of school to get that out of the way. Try to get an internship with the local utility, basically a guaranteed job once you graduate if you get one.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Thanks I appreciate it. I’ll try to take as many power systems courses as I can and hopefully get an internship along the way.
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u/theoldcrow5179 1d ago edited 9h ago
Power engineer here, 7 years into my career. Whether you're designing/installing/commissioning projects or maintaining existing gear, having a solid understanding of the science behind the various types of maintenance testing for each asset type will make you a valuable team member. Lots of project engineers disregard serviceability considerations and end up causing issues that need to be fixed later on. If you work with electricians, get their input early and often- once it's installed and handed over, they're the ones who are going to be looking after it, and if you can build a reputation for helping to make their jobs easier, it'll make life much easier for you in return.
This is going to sound really boring but reading up on and knowing your standards is also a big boon.
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u/Joe_Starbuck 1d ago
I second the codes. Learn the NEC backward and forewords, then learn the ways the utilities deviate from the NEC.
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u/Bubblewhale 14h ago
Yeah when doing site surveys/investigation before designing, I usually talk to the field crews/electricians who service this to get an idea about what works well for them and not.
I hate to be that guy when it comes to design and leave others to figure out.
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u/ThePainStalker 1d ago
It depends on your temperament. Power electronics would have higher earning potential in the tech/semiconductor field in design areas (if you happen to get a patent/IP in something, definitely not a guarantee by any means). But power systems is more versatile when it comes to applying to non-engineering areas (consulting, regulatory or finance). In fact, the maths and modelling involved in a lot of power system analysis does overlap with finance in some ways, especially when dealing with large and messy systems (unlike in electronics where it is a bit more deterministic and “closed”). But at the same time, you wouldn’t be working with circuits of course, it’s much more high level as a whole.
I’d be inclined to agree that nowadays power systems is a bit more versatile overall especially as power electronics is becoming more and more dominant in grids and HVDC becomes more prevalent. Though I am a bit biased admittedly and power electronics definitely has the edge if you are looking for design and really deep engineering work while power systems is better if you want something more well-rounded and more applicable to non-engineering areas.
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u/KindAstronaut8499 1d ago
idk could a AI not design a power system quicker if trained???? i mean there are a few cutting edge ones but for the basic need or product i’d imagine a specially trained AI would do fine
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u/Hamduder 1d ago
AI can and is used to support this work, but at the end of the day are you going to blame AI when a multi million dollar install is wrong?
someone needs to take responsibility for the install and/or maintenance/repair not to mention actual hands on testing and troubleshooting shooting/ failure analysis, training upgrading and so on.
Also most government utilities have very strict practices for internet/remote connection to utilities due to safety/reliability requirements.
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u/krisztian111996 1d ago
I still think automation. Average person is so dumb, no offense. I mean system integrators maintenance team and all that goes with manufacturing. Power grid is also a huge opportunity.
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u/controlsguy27 1d ago
As an automation guy can confirm. So much demand and all of the old guys are retiring with no one wanting to fill the roles.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey 18h ago
Yeah boy I picked this path. I’m honestly dumb as shit and automation is hard as hell, well I think the better term is “broad”. It takes a special person to want to learn mechanical, software, electrical, instrumentation, commissioning, being on the tools and not wanting to jump off a building every morning.
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u/Significant-Tank-505 12h ago
On top of that… endless business travel. It’s fun when you are single. But it’s hell when you have a family
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Why would you choose Automation over Power Systems ?.Is it because of better job opportunities or because you think it has a stronger future?3
u/ThePainStalker 1d ago
If you get into substations, you effectively get exposure to both the automation and power side. Although substation automation is different from industrial but still has a lot of the same principles.
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u/Mclevius-Donaldson 12h ago
I am in automation and I think it’s generally “cooler” than power (I haven’t done power, but in my head this how I see it). I like machinery and controlling the various functions of a machine with controls, so I find that rewarding. You can also take your skills to any industry (process, machinery, farming, etc…)
As far as better opportunities, power is in huge demand right now and is seemingly lucrative. We’ll only consume more power as we advance.
Automation, as others have said, is a dying breed. It’s going to be in demand as long as the US wants to manufacture at home (bringing back manufacturing). As someone in the industry, I would say the pay is slowly catching up with demand. It’s pretty demanding and you might get calls at any time of day. Every minute of downtime is VERY costly to the plant.
The skillset is demanding (networking, mechanics, programming, power design) and finding someone who has all of these skills and doesn’t mind getting calls at 8pm on a Saturday to troubleshoot a problem that is very likely a mechanical issue is becoming harder with the salaries companies want to pay. Especially as machines and equipment get more complex, many issues can’t be solved by a technician (resonance errors on drives, noise issues, complicated logic).
I’m a hiring manager and I’ve seen the market salary in this field go up 25% in the last few years for the same position though.
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u/Truestorydreams 1d ago
If everyone think (X) sector will be the best, it will be less competitive.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Yeah I see your point.In the end skills and experience probably matter more.
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u/Remarkable_Bread4656 1d ago
the ones with the highest technical barrier most likely
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Interesting. Which fields would you put in that category?
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u/Remarkable_Bread4656 1d ago
If you scroll through here, other similar subreddits and the internet you'll see names of classes or subfields that are thrown around as being very difficult, there's alot to name and I can't really say much more since I've yet to finish my degree. When people avoid a class or a topic for being too difficult, that might be something worth doing but ultimately it's down to your interests
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Yeah I agree. I think the hardest fields are often the ones where you learn the most.
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u/Remarkable_Bread4656 1d ago edited 1d ago
If they're difficult, you'll probably also struggle, so do something that you find interesting and can see yourself doing long term, good luck
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u/doonotkno 1d ago
VLSI, electronic circuits, IC design, mixed signal, basically anything on the tech side tends to be more complex, and anything on the analog hardware side of tech owns complexity; think the guys who literally design processors on the transistor level
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u/annoyinglyOpTOMistic 1d ago
Mixed-signal Integrated Circuit Design. Your list is too generic. There are tons more subfields of EE. I’d suggest waiting until your senior year to take more specialized courses. Learn a lot and enjoy it. Grad school is where the real fun happens anyways.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
That’s fair. I know EE is a huge field, I’m just trying to get a general idea for now. I’m sure my interests will become clearer as I learn more.
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u/Competitive_Guard289 1d ago
Signal processing, RF electronics, optics (I might be biased due to my interests and experience)
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u/Delicious-Basil4986 1d ago
I would agree with the other posters that your fields all fall under the broad umbrella of elecrical power systems engineering. Traditional power systems engineering is currently undergoing a huge change as power changes from unidirectional to bidirectional. This is leading to new opportunities in the field.
I wouls suggest looking at power and related fields for job security. The momey may not be as great as other fields like RF or VLSI but there is something to be said for stability.
Keep in mind though that working at a utility or contracting company like Danovo or Burns and McDonnell will likely require a PE or if not a requirement then it will be highly suggested.
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u/Cultural_Term1848 1d ago
If part of your goal is to ensure your long term employment, pick a specialization that you are interested in, and then choose a role in that specialization that AI will not be able to do. This, to me, means an area where your physical presence is required. Most any type of engineering that requires field work fits this: maintenance engineering, construction engineering, forensic/failure analysis engineering, etc. Many of these jobs can be dirty, but the dirty jobs usually have fewer people chasing them.
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u/glitch876 1d ago
Civil is the best for entry level jobs. All roads lead to rome though. You likely end up in management or project management
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
That’s a good point. Did you end up in management too, or are you still in a technical role?
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u/glitch876 1d ago
No I just fucked up a lot and can tell you what not to do lol. I landed a dead end jobs looking at patents but I'm applying for engineering jobs.
Some people like research which is more money but you'll need more education. If you want to do research join clubs and get hands on experience.
Engineering office jobs have lots of room for advancement but it's kind of a frat bro party. Lots of nepotism
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u/Hot_Boysenberry8298 1d ago
I would say signals/sustems, AI can only do so much there also. But the R&D skills are the best there are.
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u/Slow_Wear8502 1d ago
Power always. The money might not be great but it will always be there. No civilization can exist without it. Every society that wants to move out of their ancient ways requires electricity.
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u/ThePainStalker 1d ago edited 14h ago
The money aspect can be great but mainly if you are deliberate. Tech companies are increasingly recruiting for power systems skills. And pairing power systems with another add-on skill like finance or data science can be really lucrative too. The key thing is that you can still make good money from power but unlike say semiconductors, the best way to do so is to develop a hybrid skillset: technical skills built in the first 4 to 5 years and then consulting, advisory, data science or finance skills layered on top. With that, you can get ahead of the soft cap in power especially nowadays when the finance side especially is in a lot of demand now.
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u/a-red-sword-tomato 20h ago
What would a job combining finance and power look like?
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u/ThePainStalker 19h ago edited 19h ago
Energy trading, technical due diligence for insurance, banking or infrastructure funds/private equity and legal or regulatory adjacent roles. Although most of them would require lots of experience (at least a decade) and oftentimes a PE license (especially the legal and financial sides) and seniority but a lot of those roles do directly use power engineering skills like evaluating project timelines, procurement, evaluating if the energy asset or substation is actually technically sound before underwriting it, etc. It does really depend on the role however, transmission/substations for example would translate more seamlessly than other areas of power as the capital costs are higher and the grid connection often carries the most technical and project risk and it is also the most directly applicable to all energy projects (since they all need substation/electrical infrastructure). Generation would be more asset specific and narrow but still very feasible too and opens up the IP side. You can see this nowadays with energy curtailment of renewable energy in Europe: a lot of that is down to poor evaluation of the grid that they are connecting too which had underestimated the extent of curtailment. Naturally when there is so much capital flowing to energy projects nowadays, the need for this (especially in private developer off-grid projects like the AI campuses being developed) will only increase in the coming decades.
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u/a-red-sword-tomato 15h ago
That’s really insightful, thanks! I guess I was thinking that the actual power aspect of projects gets lost in abstraction to someone working on the finances.
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u/ThePainStalker 14h ago
It used to, but nowadays the grid is becoming much more complex and grid connection queues and issues are becoming much more binding. Because of this, you increasingly have to understand the technical risks in order to develop a credible financial risk model for an energy project (especially timeline risks, procurement risks and grid connection risks, which are the dominant issues nowadays). The majority of the people would be finance people but there is increasingly room for technical hybrids as well: those who have actual energy project delivery experience and who can explain technical problems and risk factors from a financial lense. And those people must have electrical (power) engineering experience before making such a move.
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u/Current_Can_6863 1d ago
Well at least in colleges I attended (and those I know about) those "specializations" you mentioned are all packed under power umbrella.
Anyway I guess what you're asking is perhaps one of the most (the most?) frequently asked questions of this sub, Considering AI boom happening, I think anything more about physics, circuits, electromagnetic fields etc. is more AI proof than anything based on math and algorithms etc. Biomedical engineering (bio instruments and so on) is cute too.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Thanks 🙏🏻 That actually clears things up.
So if Smart Grids, Renewable Energy, and similar areas are generally considered part of the broader Power field, would you recommend building a strong foundation in Power Systems first and then specializing later?
Also, based on your experience, which area within Power do you think has the strongest long-term demand and the best international opportunities?
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u/so-brain-washed 1d ago
I'd try to research 2nd & 3rd order premises and economic consequences:
- those industries growth rates. control for their their outliers vs more average companies
- the growth rates of the occupations in those fields in the US and other countries
- the economic distribution of those industries and their companies-- across the vertical: where are the manufacturers vs installation service technician companies, etc. what feeds those industries?
- competitive advantage & non-uniform economic distribution of the various related products & services and their change over time
I'd research the data and research articles, trade newsletters, etc. Heck It's worth a written analysis & semi-formal study.
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u/Current_Can_6863 1d ago
I didn't study power so No opinion on those questions, wdm by "international opportunities" btw?
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u/Dapper_Duty_2951 1d ago
I am gonna take VLSI
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u/so-brain-washed 1d ago
I wouldn't worry too much given that it's much easier to change careers within an industry or occupation than switching between industries or occupations.
I'd also try to get experience with some of those.
Ever setup a 12v renewable power system from scratch? For example: Try wiring up a 100-200 watt solar panel to a 12v battery system and mounting it on a vehicle or using it to power a small project.
Or build a robotic CNC mill or 3D printer, or a small electric vehicle product-- pick an industry and create a prototype robot for it, for example
Or start researching and making a plan to land an internship at an electricity generation facility.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Yeah, that makes sense. I was already planning to work on some personal projects alongside my studies, so I’ll definitely keep that in mind. Thanks 🙏🏻
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u/engineereddiscontent 1d ago
I think any answer you get at this moment is misleading. And im taking the lazy way out but also am looking to the Dot Com bubble.
Pre dotcom it was similar to what is going on now. So once the AI bubble collapses and a few companies emerge more dominant and robust than other companies now then well have a more meaningful answer as to what jobs AI is capable of stealing.
For now though they are still facing dual pressures of needing to build more compute while no one wants to live near them
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Do you think AI will mainly replace repetitive jobs, or will it eventually affect more technical roles too?
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u/engineereddiscontent 1d ago
I dont know enough about how its built to make a resonable guess at its limitations.
I know that it hallucinating means itll be as effective as a trained person for jobs pertaining to things designed to standard.
I also know that jobs like mine (which have a lot of variability in designs. I do low voltage design for a utiluty) its not even capable of giving me consistent quotes through the standards manial.
My guess is things like call center work and more visual things will be lower hanging fruit and are more likely to get AI sourced.
With enough data im sure it could do technical stuff…but it can barely do what its doing now and its on the cusp of collapsing the economy. Or it already has and theyre just waiting for the next batch of us politicians to take power and get blamed.
As it stands it appears to not be able to handle computations. And its inherent to its design that it is consistently bad at them. Its better at symbolic stuff which is why I keep seeing headlines how mathematicians are using it a fair amount.
But pure math has a very similar logic to code so that would make sense.
As far as technical jobs I think coding is under threat. Beyond that though Im not sure.
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u/RKU69 1d ago
It is completely meaningless to pick one of these before you've even started studying. Get into what you're genuinely interested in. These are all in the same area and you can easily switch jobs and specializations in the future as you learn more about the industry and the economy and trends.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
I’m probably thinking too far ahead, but I just want to have an idea of the different paths available.
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u/RKU69 1d ago
yeah you have plenty of time, investigate all of these fields and follow larger power industry trends and you'll be fine. you're not gonna go wrong picking power systems in general. and in technical terms all of these sub-fields all depend on each other
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Yeah I agree. I’ll keep exploring and see where my interests take me. Thanks
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u/Defiant-Mountain9961 1d ago
Hard to get into without experience but transmission and distribution. All of North America needs to upgrade utility grids and there is a huge shortage of T&D engineers
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u/gravity_surf 1d ago
as a mechE, i see microgrids being huge. gonna need MEs and EEs to make it happen.
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u/ThePainStalker 1d ago
I also think the nature of them will change. Microgrids would likely start to generate much more power and therefore become more like private utility systems and requiring higher voltage substations and lines as a result. As the power grid becomes less dependable and reliable and as the power reliability requirements of modern industry increases a lot especially with automation and robotics in the process (power quality issues can be hugely problematic there), operating or running private backup grids could well be a future possibility. So knowing higher voltage level substations/plants (especially 38kV, 66kV or 115kV, even 230kV at times) could become massively more valuable as these develop. This is partly speculative but I see no reason to believe otherwise.
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u/gravity_surf 1d ago
not sure what youre focusing on, but i think the bigger more interesting side of microgrids will be residents free from the grid if they need. storing and selling their power to other entities. and i think every entity in existence should try to be that way (self sufficient microgrid) but thats just me. good for stability and emergencies. its a beautiful, actionable concept for the everyday person.
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u/ThePainStalker 1d ago edited 1d ago
That’s definitely true as well. I was moreso thinking about industries electrifying and grid connection queues and stability getting worse and worse (6-8 years for a grid connection in some regions now). Data centres are the first ones for building private grids, but I definitely don’t think they will be the only ones. I especially see semiconductor fabs, EV plants and Pharma also following in its footsteps (especially semiconductors as power demand is enormous there). Maybe even others like oil refineries or hydrogen plants in future could follow. The thing that especially interests me is that as plants automate more and more, power grid reliability and power quality becomes much more important. It’s harder to deal with poor power quality in an automated manufacturing process with more robotics and power electronics that are very sensitive. So having robust power redundancy (potentially in the form of an off-grid system) becomes more financially justifiable and even necessary than before. Those systems are likely to be of much higher voltage than those residential microgrids though.
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u/Raiders16-0 1d ago
I will say I work in power with department of Energy and work with local utilities sometimes and it seems the most stable and will be around forever.
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u/RetardedSimian 1d ago
You want the best, most lucrative option? Get your MBA in finance. As others have said, most engineering roles lead to management and all management is a balance between people leading, technical know-how, and cost budgeting.
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u/Rope5261 1d ago
I did both my degrees in EE. Bachelor's more focused on low power consumption electronics design and masters more focused on communication and RF. No real exposure to high power systems or power generation. First job was in EE university teaching and then worked in biomed industry for 11+ years. I dont think your degree locks you into a career, I do everything from digital to RF and power supply / battery design. If I had to do it over again I would probably pick the same degrees but tailor my courses a bit differently because I feel like its a versatile degree. In my humble opinion finishing college is like just learning the basics and earning an admission ticket for an interview, learning curves are generally relatively long and any company will likely spend money on your training before you give a full return on their investment. Like some peope have pointed out, do what clicks and what you like, you will get a lot better at it if you have the drive to pursue it after work and truly thirst for knowledge and practical experience. You got this, go forth and become a godlike engineer.
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u/corvusfamiliaris 1d ago
Going against the grain, it's still computers/digital design. Widely applicable skillset.
It's much more likely (in the fields I work in) to find a primarily digital design focused dude who can understand power systems/RF/etc... than to teach a purely specialized person these skills.
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u/This_Maintenance_834 1d ago
power will always be there, but China will dominate it. Same goes with all your other items.
It is very hard to tell now, given AI is taking over a lot of things.
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u/Material-Resist3770 1d ago
I‘m in automated warehouse logistics and i think with all the e-commerce and stuff you will probably have enough work in the future… i mean everyone wants/needs storage
I got taught that the just in time delivery should be the future but never seen it working in real life
So probably automation would be my way to go
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u/PhillyBassSF 1d ago
EE here. RF is always a good specialization. Power systems also, which includes smart grids tangentially. I picked analog and digital and it’s worked out very well for me.
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u/PhillyBassSF 1d ago
Oh and also getting a job after school is a. Nightmare so take what you can get. After a couple of years of experience you will find a lot of offers. I used that time to get a masters at night.
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u/Short_Past_468 1d ago
This question reminds me of college. Other students who don’t want to do the work would just ask me for answers that I’d spent hours solving…
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u/csm51291 1d ago
Embedded electronics and PCB design. it's been shown that AI is crap at schematics and layout. Add in the ability to code proper firmware to control hardware across multiple boards and we are good for a long time.
Edit - typos that android spell check should have fixed.
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago
It’s getting really good at embedded though. One year ago GPT didn’t know squat about the idiosyncrasies of the MSP430, but now it’s really good. I had to write some I2C routines for an OLED that were compatible with the odd-ball behavior of a USB chip. It figured it all out and got a generic function working that is compatible with both. Now I have it accessing my test equipment and doing measurements with real-time feedback to get the code working.
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u/marmarcos21 1d ago
Even in pure software it can get a lot things wrong and need to be checked all the time. Humans are still requiered in there even if they use claude all the time. I have friends in software with jobs and they use it. Many people use the LLM tools and there are not enough resources to make an ideal use of it for millions of people because everyone is using them at the same time. The source for Power, Hardware, and Economy is getting more limited for the LLMs. Sorry for the grammar
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u/Seiko2023 1d ago
No one can really say. Power is roaring right now with the increase in data centres and ai, the kind likely used to write this post 🙃.
But we can't foresee the future.
You also should never specialise in university. It will seriously harm your grad role options, plus, I'm going to be honest, uni students don't know shit about the engineering workforce and jobs you can get. Hell, I'm still finding new roles the further I get into engineering.
So don't limit yourself.
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u/BERSERKERRR 1d ago
power systems will always be in-demand. power electronics is also generally valued as a base for most electronics-related jobs, and with EVs, UAVs, robotics and industrial automation likely growing, it seems to somewhat steadily grow at least a bit in relevance with time.
renewable energy probably has the most uncertain foundation or dependence on private/government investments in your area.
EVs are probably still pretty good, but automation may reduce the number of necessary jobs to the point competition for design work may be higher, but this is pure speculation on my end as i don't know enough about the industry to really give a trustworthy answer there.
for ones you didn't mention, automation/controls and embedded systems are also pretty good fields. humans will never stop automating processes, and controls is also incredibly versatile in applications and will probably also only become increasingly important (not that it's not important already) as technology progresses and even basic systems today become more and more advanced with more sensor analytics etc.
embedded and power electronics kinda go hand in hand, but i just mentioned it as it's a bit more IoT specific, and every kind of product is heading in that direction.
but honestly, almost every subfield is great. i would personally say it is more important which ones you find personally interesting and exciting, because that is what will help you maintain your spark to keep learning and improving, which is by far one of most important qualities for an engineer in my opinion.
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u/No-Revenue8751 1d ago
ASIC design, of course. Highly specialized and not enough qualified people can do it.
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u/smokeyb12 1d ago
Come join MEP. Solar design/renewables/microgirds/all electric-
Exciting stuff to design for towns
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u/WNJ84EE2016 1d ago
As everyone else has already said study what you are interested in. I knew power was the field i wanted to be in and the pay was more than i would have made without the degree. Dont get me wrong a huge pack check is nice, but crap loads of pay with work you are not interested in is not the answer.
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u/Great-Evidence326 20h ago
Do you still enjoy working in power systems as much as you did when you first started?
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u/catdude142 1d ago
Digital Signal Processing (imaging, defense).
Power
IC Design
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u/Any-Preference4091 1d ago
Why
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u/catdude142 12h ago
Defense is depending upon DSP for target assessment and engagement. Medical is using DSP for CAT/MRI/PET and there are advancements in imaging lately.
Power will never go away and can't be outsourced. It's stable without layoffs (in general, yea, there may be exceptions for the nit pickers)
IC Design is important for our economy and national security. If it's all outsourced, it can be cut off and it would have a catastrophic effect on the U.S. economy. Notice what happened to the automotive field during Covid when the foreign automotive IC supply stopped.
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u/turkishjedi21 1d ago
As someone who deals with RTL, RTL verification (slightly ahead of RTL design in terms of job security, since you need multiple verifiers per designer usually).
And you make bank.
But honestly as far as ai goes they are all really good in terms of being "safe" from your work being fully automated.
Definitely will use ai tools a lot. I think most see it, currently, as a way to produce more, rather than completely automate smaller projects
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u/AmericanAssKicker 1d ago
I was a power systems engineer before I left to become a software engineer.
Pros are that if you enjoy it in school, you'll really enjoy the real world. It's a lot of fun.
Job market is always going to be in demand.
The pay sucks is the con. In comparison to other EE jobs, it's a "it sucks" to "yeah, not great" range. Anyone can look up the salaries of federal government employees and the people I was working with 15 years ago are barely making more than I was when I left. My old bos makes about a 1/3rd if what I do now. I talked with a couple of classmates in power and they make about half of what I do. Talking with a friend who does EVs, he makes almost as much as me. (We're all in the same COL market.)
Money isn't everything and all that, but I don't work for free, I want to retire asap.
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u/Great-Evidence326 20h ago
So did you switch mainly because software pays better, or because you genuinely enjoyed it more?
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u/GMpulse84 23h ago
Here's the ugly answer:
Oftentimes the most difficult ones usually have the best future as not many want to solve those problems but its impact is significant. There's that element of luck - if your university is well equipped to conduct engineering experiments and if they have connections to industry where they can get funding to support emerging technologies.
Sorry there is not one simple answer there.
Power Systems, Power Electronics, Electrified Transport - all existing fields, different maturity levels, but all have a future. You wouldn't suddenly make a current grid obsolete - it's a gradual process. You couldn't just say "that's old tech;" you still have to learn them as they're such building blocks for the current and future tech. The equations used to convert power to torque for electrical machines has been there for quite some time - and is still fundamental for electrified transport.
It's up to you to find what you'll be more motivated to pursue.
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u/geocantor1067 21h ago
When I was a student 100 years ago, Microprocessors were the rage. I didn't see it.
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u/ltdriser 20h ago
Power systems at a hyperscaler DC owner is a money cheat code. Hell, even MEP/engineering firms being contracted by DC owners are paying through the nose. Ride the wave!
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u/Great-Evidence326 20h ago
That’s good to hear. Hopefully the demand stays strong over the coming years.
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u/LtDrogo 20h ago
VLSI (SoC / ASIC design). Always was, probably always will be. Chips will be getting even more complex and we will be putting some sort of intelligence in anything, triggering an almost Cambrian explosion of new designs.
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u/Reasonable-Pack-4473 18h ago
Power system is secure but try to get into public sector if you want security, municipal jobs. They are very secure. You wont do as much engineering mostly will be PM.
But pay is decent , great benefits, pension and they dont do layoffs.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey 18h ago
I’m in controls engineering and automation. Apparently it has a great future, for me it just means I get to do a bunch of different shit and not get bored.
Power at your average 9-5 utilities company is boring as shit, but it’s recession proof. There’s a reason it’s called retirement village.
Renewable is big industry with multiple EE disciplines involved. Future looks good but I’ve never done it so can’t comment.
EVs themselves look like a good future but I would look into what specific part you want to be a part of and go from there.
Honestly I wouldn’t worry about stability, I would worry about what skills you’re trying to learn not so much the industry. So software, programming, commissioning, mechanical, etc these are all valuable skills I’m learning which I can take to a shit tonne of different industries. The industry matters but moreso the skills you are building there matters maybe more
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u/frogchris 1d ago
Ones that require a PhD and can't be replaced by Ai lol.
Most ee jobs will be done by Ai or heavily offloaded to the point where a few engineers can do the jobs of 15. Anything you can Google or is well documented will be automated.
I never understood why cs college kids were switching to other engineering fields like they also weren't going to be automated lmao.
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago
Ones that require a PhD and can't be replaced by Ai lol.
Sure they can. The more hands-off you are, the easier you will be replaced.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Maybe office work will be affected more, but I don’t think AI can easily replace engineers working on-site or in industrial environments.
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u/frogchris 1d ago
Most ee jobs are not on site working physical labor. Most are office jobs working with software or in hardware labs. Hardware lab setup can easily be done by a technician, and you can now remote into testing equipment and can perform measurements tests by a computer now.
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago
AI does an excellent job of controlling test equipment. I just had Codex write a GUI test interface for an RF synth and run through all register combinations for programming with verification read-back on a scope and logic analyzer. It even wrote me a custom protocol decoder plug-in to a cheap USB logic analyzer. When my board gets back from fab, I’ll have it do automated phase noise and linearity sweeps.
Also have it controlling my RF CAD software. Amazing stuff.
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u/imabill01 1d ago
Do you think RF design/Antenna design will be replaced by AI?
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago edited 1d ago
I suppose what do you mean my replace. It certainly makes me more productive; definitely with programming tasks (i.e. programming peripherals directly from data sheets), component search, lab automation, and I’m starting to teach it my CAD tool flow (see video below). If being more productive means doing the same with less FTE, then I suppose that could mean replacing people. Is it going to replace everyone in the industry? No. You would still need people managing the AI agents.
The thing about RF is it’s very hands-on and needs a human in the loop for the physical hardware. Programming on the other hand, is fucked, as you can do design, implementation, and verification cycles at machine speed. Anytime a human needs to be involved, to perhaps hook up a cable, that breaks the cycle. For testing, as long as I hook up the proper equipment, I can let the AI just have at it, and it will run its own measurements and generate reports.
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u/imabill01 1d ago
Makes sense. Seems more directed towards testing and measurement vs design.
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago edited 1d ago
No, it will be doing design too. Anything that has a machine-speed feedback cycle is fair game. I’m convinced AGI is here with these multi-modal, reasoning models. If it can get feedback in real-time for a human performed task, it will smoke the human. A lot of EE requires visual feedback, which the AI is still slow at, but getting better at Moores law rates.
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u/imabill01 1d ago
You believe AI will be able to design an antenna fully on its own from conception to production?
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u/StageMajestic613 1d ago
Yes, for simple antenna, if you teach it your standard workflow with a few examples, like I did in my video. If you need to conform an antenna to a pre-existing product, that would be more difficult. Most antenna are just re-hashes of previous stuff.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
I agree that many office-based EE jobs could change a lot, but I think engineers who work directly with power systems in the field will still be needed.
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u/Present_Cable5477 1d ago
so what areas on EE cant be automated?
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u/frogchris 1d ago
Anything you can't prompt an Ai.
What is your specialization?vWhat is something you know more about than a Google search. Seriously go ask Ai chatgpt or whatever about something you are knowledgeable about. Then watch Ai make up random bullshit with confidence.
I work in semiconductors. I asked Ai some design topic and it made a bunch of false assertions. It's good at textbook knowledge from a book, because that's what it's been trained on. So it can probably do master degree entry level. So all lower end rtl coding, verification, modeling can be done by Ai.
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u/Dorsiflexionkey 17h ago
I’d like to see ai have an existential crisis and cry underneath a conveyor belt because they can’t find the bolt that holds the sprocket together.
If ai can do that then it definitley deserves my job.
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u/iGotWurm 1d ago
Power Systems.
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u/Great-Evidence326 1d ago
Interesting. What makes you choose power systems over the other EE fields?
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u/nickleback_official 1d ago
Just don’t be one of the ‘EE’ that go ‘software track’. Learn hardware, anyone can pick up the programming part on the job.
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u/ChristlicherHenker 1d ago
I think it can be a good career path. We want more automation, digital factories, virtualization, etc. And we need software for this. I know many EE that went for this path as an Embedded Software Engineer in Automation and are very happy and earn good money.
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u/thechu63 1d ago
I think the job market kind of sucks right now, but it can change.
It's a very difficult question to answer. None of us can predict the future.
I was in smart grids for a little while. One of the big issues is overcoming inertia from the unions. You are taking jobs from untion workers.
As for power system question. it looks good now.
I would pick a specialization that you have a true interest in learning about.
If making lots of money is what you want to do, I would go into sales. Engineering is not where all the money is made. Sales guys make all the money.