Some of the highest paying careers in the world are in the electrical engineering field. Electrical engineering jobs are among the most profitable choices, and an electrical engineer salary can exceed $254,000 per year.
An Electrical Engineer tends to earn more than the national average salary, and this is anticipated to continue. Electrical Engineering jobs have some of the highest career potentials, and I would like to share with you the Top 3 Industries where you can achieve the Highest Electrical Engineer Salary.
On average, an Electrical Engineer earns a salary of $71,000 per year. Most engineers move on to management jobs if they have more than two decades of experience in their career, and hands-on experience has a reasonable effect on an electrical engineer salary because electrical engineering jobs are for implementing systems and designing components and devices that use electricity to operate. They have to focus on the generation of power to these devices, designing protocols, researching alternatives sources, creating solutions and improving product and system safety.
Due to the nature of electrical engineering jobs, electrical engineers work in teams to solve complex electrical system problems. Often, these teams consist of electrical engineers with proficiency in various areas, so the group is better-equipped to find a solution to an electrical problem. As a team, an electrical engineer can successfully inspect completed projects to ensure conformance with design standards, while applying electrical engineering principles, such as design implementation and improving electrical instruments.
Therefore if you want to earn the highest electrical engineer salary, you must be a great team player. Since 2010, I have interviewed 1000s of electrical engineers and have recruited 100s of such engineers with various soft skills and technical experiences. I have found that the secret to success in electrical engineering jobs is to be able to communicate ideas and ask the right questions to evoke curiosity and challenge the status quo. That’s how you continue to make the big bucks!
Electrical Engineers must be skilled in math to be excellent problem solvers. Successful Electrical Engineers must think creatively and feel comfortable with public speaking and group presentations. These are abilities that I’ve found must be present if you want to achieve the highest salary for electrical engineering jobs.
Before we dive into the top industries where you find the highest salary for Electrical Engineers, let’s understand the possible career paths for electrical engineers:
Career Paths for Electrical Engineers are :
1. Electrical Engineer
– Senior Electrical Engineer
– Design Engineering Manager
2. Systems Engineer
– Senior Electronics Design Engineer
– Principal Systems Engineer
– Product Manager
3. Test Engineer
– Senior Test Engineer
– Quality Control Manager
4. Electrical Application Engineer
– Client or Supplier Engineer
– Applications Engineering Manager
5. Network Design Engineer
– Senior Network Engineer
– Telecom Network Manager
– Information Technology Manager
– Senior Electrical Engineer
– Design Engineering Manager
2. Systems Engineer
– Senior Electronics Design Engineer
– Principal Systems Engineer
– Product Manager
3. Test Engineer
– Senior Test Engineer
– Quality Control Manager
4. Electrical Application Engineer
– Client or Supplier Engineer
– Applications Engineering Manager
5. Network Design Engineer
– Senior Network Engineer
– Telecom Network Manager
– Information Technology Manager
Choosing the Right Industry for Your Next Electrical Engineering Job
Well, not every industry employs electrical engineers for the same job functions, so it is important that you understand the difference between market sector to ensure your interest in the long run while maximizing your earnings potential. The Computer Hardware Design currently pays the highest salary for electrical engineers, primarily based on the lack of professionals in this marketplace. However, whether or not you have your electrical engineering degree on hand, or you are going to graduate soon, evaluating possible careers can seem to be mind-boggling. Therefore to ensure that you do not leave anything on the table regarding earning potential and personal interest here’s a breakdown of the top 3 industries for highest electrical engineer salary.
1. Computer Hardware & Signal Processing
The average starting salary for an electrical hardware engineer is $86,300. Hardware Engineering is a relatively new field of engineering, and there are not enough electrical hardware engineers to keep up with demand and job growth rate could potentially slow over time. An Electrical Hardware Engineer can anticipate earning a salary of $111,730 per year with five to eight years of experience and $167,100 per year or more with 15+ years of experience.
Signal processing is a technology that incorporates the fundamental theory, applications, algorithms, and implementations of processing information confined in physical and symbolic formats designated as signals. It uses mathematical, statistical, computational and linguistic representations, formalisms, and techniques for representation, modeling, and analysis. Moreover, electrical hardware engineers are often responsible for performing all signal processing tasks while they are designing computer parts and components.
• Computer Hardware Engineer salary ranges from $79,160 – $254,546
• Artificial Intelligence Engineer salary ranges from $88,200 – $235,593
• Electrical Circuit Engineer salary ranges from $85,000 – $230,000
Among the largest brands within the computational hardware engineering community is International Business Machines Corporation (IBM). From building electrical hardware systems for commercial and industrial use, electrical engineers will indeed discover that working for this firm is rewarding, not only salary-wise but also relating to career growth and skills development.
2. Advanced Automation & Robotic Systems
Control engineering used to be an integral part of mechanical engineering and has turned into a relatively new industry which combines software engineering and mathematic concepts. Control engineers focus on designing and developing automated machines that have multiple functions. The instruments that an automation engineer may control could be part of an automated system, manufacturing process, or robotic device. This type of electrical engineer can earn a starting yearly salary of $64,600 and a mid-career salary of $105,570. The salary for an electrical engineer in this field can be as high as $159,850 per year or more with 15 or more years of experience.
As part of today’s automated work environments, Automation and Robotic Engineers develop and design computer control systems that not only power automated systems, but also help unify and consolidate manufacturing functions while gathering data to be analyzed and used to improve the entire automated infrastructure. These robotic technologies take care of automated equipment which could replace human beings in unsafe conditions or manufacturing operations, or mimic individuals in features, actions, as well as knowledge.
• Control Systems Engineer salary ranges from $72,000 – $197,026
• Robotics and Automation Engineer salary ranges from $67,842 – $171,000
• Industrial Applications Engineer salary ranges from $76,679 – $186,550
A lot of smart robots are influenced by nature, bringing about the field of bio-inspired robotics. The method of building robots which will perform autonomously goes back to previous times, but research in the operation and possible uses of robots did not mature considerably prior to the 20th century.
Now we have consistently dreamed of that particular day robots will mirror human behavior and handle duties in a human-like manner. These days, robotics is a rapidly expanding industry, as engineering advancements continue; exploring, developing, and building new robots provide many functional purposes, whether domestically, commercially, or militarily.
For instance, Rockwell Automation is a supplier of industrial & commercial automation products and information systems, with brand names such as Allen-Bradley and Rockwell. They manage their organization via two sectors – Infrastructure Software and Control System Solutions. The Rockwell Automation portfolio includes Control Systems, Integrated Architecture, Industrial Controls, Safety Technology, Information Software, Manufacturing System Management, Intelligent Sensing Devices, Network Sensors & Industrial Switches as well as Security Systems.
3. Aerospace & Space Defense Systems
An electrical engineer builds the backbone of aerospace and defense systems and those entering this sector can expect a starting salary of $59,240[4] and a mid-career salary of $113,970. This job provides electrical engineering graduates the chance to design and develop components that route electrical power and real-time connectivity, as well as handling flight control systems and testing the functionality of defense systems. In return for this hard work, the salary for an electrical engineer in this field can be as high as $146,820 per year or more with 15 or more years of experience.
I want to take this opportunity and mention The Strategic Defense Initiative. SDI is a secret government program which was a proposed missile defense system intended to protect us from attack by strategic ballistic weapons. This system was to combine ground defense units and orbital communication and deployment platforms and focused on strategic defense.
Working for SDI as close as you can get to STAR WARS, and as you can imagine every Electrical Engineer with aerospace engineering experience wishes to one day get recruited for such projects, and in return make some of the highest salaries in this field. This program requires the highest levels of security clearance, hence only a few, secretly selected, lucky electrical engineers get these high paying jobs.
• Communication and Remote-Sensing Engineer salary ranges from $92,332 – $221,500
• Aerospace and Electrical Systems Engineer salary ranges from $76,219 – $219,150
• Signal Processing Engineer salary ranges from $80,250 – $214,000
Boeing Defense, Space & Security (BDS) is a unit of The Boeing Company responsible for defense and aerospace products and services. Boeing Integrated Defense Systems was found in 2002 by combining the former “Military Aircraft and Missile Systems” and “Space and Communications” divisions. BDS made Boeing the world’s 2nd-largest defense firm, responsible for 45% of the company’s income in 2011.
Honorable Mention: Automotive ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems)
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems support vehicle operators in the driving process. When built with a secure Human-Machine Interface, they will improve vehicle and road safety. Advanced driver assistance systems are designed for automating and enhancing vehicle systems for safety and improved driver’s experience. Safety measures are created to prevent accidents by providing notifications of potential hazards to the driver or to prevent crashes by utilizing safety precautions and overtaking control over the automobile. Versatile functions could automate lights, offer adaptive cruise control, automated braking, GPS navigation, traffic alerts, and linking to mobile phones.
There are numerous types of ADAS available; some functions are built-in and some are an add-on. ADAS depend on data from multiple data sources, such as vehicle imaging and computer vision systems. More data points are possible to be discovered from the primary instrument systems known as Vehicle-to-Vehicle and Vehicle-to-Infrastructure systems.
• Instrumentation and Measurement Engineer salary ranges from $77,000 – $211,650
• Automotive Systems Engineer salary ranges from $58,400 – $188,800
• Advanced Electronics Engineer salary ranges from $88,620 – $266,850
The ADAS sector has been my personal area of focus since the beginning of 2016. Mentor Graphics is an Electronic Design Automation Technology Leader whom I have been following for two years as they have been developing new driver assistant systems. I become fascinated with what Mentor has accomplished in their commercial vehicles market and the market’s response to its electric systems has been extraordinary.
I grew up in a family of mechanics, I have always been a crazy car guy and a real automotive enthusiast a.k.a. Petrol Head. Quite naturally I have always been attracted to working with automotive firms, helping them hire top level electrical engineers, controls and system programmers.
However, now that the world’s leading automotive manufacturers are focusing on developing fully electric and autonomous vehicles, they have become desperate to find electrical engineers who are adept at designing and developing such systems; that is why it is my personal focus and choice for the industry that can provide highest electrical engineer salary and a great career in Algorithm Engineering (Object Detection, Recognition, and Tracking), Application Engineering (Analog &Digital Signal Processing), System Verification Engineering, System Security and System Architecture.
I have built strong relationships with leaders in the Automotive ADAS sector and would love to connect with electrical engineers who are interested in such electrical engineering jobs and opportunities to earn top salaries in designing Automotive Sensors and Communication Radars. Such systems include Adaptive controls, Automatic Driving and Parking, Navigation Systems and night vision, Blind spot monitoring, Collision Avoidance, Vehicle stabilization, Drowsiness Monitoring System, Vehicle warning sounds, Forward Collision Warning, Speed adaptation, Pedestrian protection, Traffic recognition and Vehicular communication systems.
About The Contributing Author:
Nader Mowlaee is an Engineering Career Coach & Tactical Networking Specialist. Nader was an Electronics Engineer who failed continuously for three years in finding the job he always wanted. Until one day he got an opportunity and decided to pursue a career in recruitment. He now works with Engineers & Information Technology Professionals to strengthen their Communication, Branding, and Networking skills while teaching job seekers the secrets to getting job interviews and job offers fast.
source: http://interestingengineering.com/top-industries-highest-electrical-engineer-salary/
