Career paths

Most of this guide leans toward embedded work, because that is my field. The BLS says electrical and electronics engineers may specialize in an area such as electric power, radio communications, or control systems (opens in a new tab). This page covers five paths. For each one it gives titles to search, a project that signals the path, the topics a school files under it, where the jobs are, and license notes. Suggestions without a source are mine.

Embedded and firmware

Search for embedded software engineer, which is my own title. One recruiter in aerospace and defense wrote that embedded software engineers are the hardest and most expensive candidates to find in that industry (opens in a new tab).

The embedded firmware section on the software page covers the project, starting with bare-metal code on a microcontroller and then a real-time operating system.

Georgia Tech's ECE school files embedded systems and hardware-software codesign under VLSI systems and digital design (opens in a new tab).

The BLS says entry-level electrical and electronics engineer jobs do not require a license (opens in a new tab).

Power

O*NET's tasks for electrical engineers include finding and correcting power system problems and tying wind, solar, and other renewable sources into electrical systems (opens in a new tab). Its reported titles include electrical engineer, electrical design engineer, and electrical project engineer (opens in a new tab).

For a project, the converter build in the hardware builds that count section on the hardware page is power electronics.

Georgia Tech's ECE school files power system protection, power electronics, and motors, generators, and power conversion under electrical energy (opens in a new tab).

The BLS counts engineering services as the largest employer of electrical engineers, at 22 percent, with electric power generation, transmission, and distribution at 10 percent (opens in a new tab). Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories offers year-round electrical engineering internships, many at its headquarters in Pullman, Washington (opens in a new tab).

NCEES says the FE exam is generally the first step toward a PE license, and it designed the exam for recent graduates and students close to finishing an accredited engineering degree (opens in a new tab). The PE Power exam is given year-round and is designed for engineers with at least four years of work after college (opens in a new tab).

Analog and mixed-signal

O*NET's reported titles for electronics engineers include integrated circuit design engineer, product engineer, and test engineer (opens in a new tab).

Analog Devices lists intern projects such as designing a high voltage, high output current operational amplifier and evaluating an on-chip buffer for a new analog-to-digital converter (opens in a new tab). A student version is an op amp or ADC front end that you simulate in LTspice, build, and measure on the bench.

Georgia Tech's ECE school files analog electronics, high-speed mixed-signal systems, and power-management integrated circuits under electronic design and applications (opens in a new tab).

The BLS counts semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing among the largest employers of electronics engineers, at 14 percent (opens in a new tab). Analog Devices says it hires over 500 interns and converts over 60 percent of them to full-time employees after graduation (opens in a new tab).

The closest PE exam is Electronics, Controls, and Communications, given once a year (opens in a new tab).

RF and communications

O*NET lists radio frequency engineer among the reported titles for electronics engineers (opens in a new tab).

Analog Devices lists intern projects such as moving an RF modulator design to a new process and writing software that automates the evaluation of voltage controlled oscillators (opens in a new tab). A ham radio license gets you transmitting before any internship. The FCC says most new amateur radio operators start at the Technician class, after an exam given by volunteer examiners (opens in a new tab).

Georgia Tech's ECE school files antenna design, radar, communication, and navigation, and satellite communications under electromagnetics (opens in a new tab).

The BLS lists the federal government at 15 percent, telecommunications at 14 percent, and semiconductor manufacturing at 14 percent as the largest employers of electronics engineers (opens in a new tab).

The closest PE exam is Electronics, Controls, and Communications (opens in a new tab).

Controls

O*NET's reported titles for electrical engineers include electrical controls engineer, and its tasks include developing software to control electrical systems (opens in a new tab). It lists programmable logic controller (PLC) software and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software among the software electrical engineers use (opens in a new tab).

A project that signals controls closes a loop on real hardware, such as a motor held at a set speed, and shows the step response you tuned it to.

Georgia Tech's ECE school describes systems and controls as mathematical and computational techniques for modeling, estimation, and control (opens in a new tab).

O*NET's top industries for electrical engineers are professional, scientific, and technical services, and manufacturing (opens in a new tab).

The closest PE exam is Electronics, Controls, and Communications (opens in a new tab).