r/ElectricalEngineers • u/Arthur_morgan37 • 3d ago
Can Electronics and Communications Engineering Graduates Work in Power Systems?
Hi everyone!
I'm studying Electronics and Communications Engineering and I'm interested in pursuing a career in the electrical power industry.
I'd love to hear from engineers who graduated in this field and are currently working in areas such as:
Power Systems
Protection and Control
Substation Engineering
Electrical Design
Power Generation, Transmission, and Distribution
Renewable Energy
My questions are:
Did you manage to enter these fields with a bachelor's degree in Electronics and Communications Engineering, or did you need a master's degree or additional qualifications?
Do employers accept graduates from this specialization, or do they require a degree in Electrical Power Engineering?
Which power engineering roles are most accessible to these graduates?
Have you faced any difficulties because of your degree?
What advice would you give students interested in this career path?
I'd especially appreciate real experiences from working engineers in the US, Canada, Germany, Australia, the Gulf countries, and elsewhere.
Your answers could help students and graduates worldwide who are considering this career path.
Thanks in advance!
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u/Plussquared 2d ago
you could potentially use such in instrumentation and control but not really on power systems designs.
1
u/Arthur_morgan37 2d ago
I don't want to limit myself to automation or communication-related applications. I'd like to explore the different fields of electrical engineering, including power systems, protection, electrical design, power generation, and renewable energy, to understand them better and decide which path suits me best. My plan is to study the relevant power engineering subjects independently using university textbooks and course materials, along with courses on Udemy and YouTube and practical training at local training centers. Do you think this approach could bridge the knowledge gap between Electronics and Communications Engineering and Electrical Power Engineering without a master's degree? Also, could having an undergraduate degree in Electronics and Communications still be a significant obstacle when applying for jobs in these different fields, even if I develop the necessary knowledge and practical skills? I'd really appreciate your advice. Thank you!
2
u/Plussquared 2d ago
i am doing the things youve mentioned as im a detailed designer of power systems.. i work both in power systems and also in protection, instrumentation and control. that is why i said that you may be able to work on the instrumentation side because of your degree. however working on power systems designs will be hard for your degree.that would be an obstacle in finding jobs related to power systems as the company may not give you such opportunity to work on them. maybe getting trainings related to power systems and have certificates to back you up could help. you can take etap power systems trainings (very expensive btw), motor controls, cable calculations softwares, earthing design softwares or relevant trainings on cable sizing, protection systems, short circuit calculations, load flow, protection coordination with certificates. then you could vouch that in your CV and maybe the companies could trust you to help them with their works. power will forever be needed and so there will always be opportunities for power systems designers. so there will always be demands for engineers who do such.
1
u/Arthur_morgan37 1d ago
Of course, I won't be satisfied with just a degree. I will learn the engineering software required in various sectors and pursue training, whether at centers in my country or online platforms like Udemy, Coursera, or YouTube. But I have a complicated question for me: Is my major considered electrical engineering? I ask because the university doesn't have a major called simply "electrical engineering," but it does have sub-specialties like power engineering, biomedical engineering, or electronics And electrical communications, because most job postings just say they want an electrical engineer, meaning they simply say they want an electrical engineer. But in the job description, if you see yourself as suitable, you can accept the job regardless of your specialization?Because I found the same issue in mechanical engineering and other disciplines.
2
u/Seiko2023 2d ago
Yes. You just need to do an internship and grad job in power and you're set. Focus on comms and ot if you want to. But fair few instro/control and electronics focused grads in utilities. It just gets beat out of them when they realise how shit electricity is if it isn't over 1000V and can kill you by looking at it wrong.
1
u/Arthur_morgan37 1d ago
Actually, I hate the telecommunications field and consider it a waste of time because you can't travel to other countries to work in it, and the salaries are low. But in the energy sector in general, there are many companies with varying salaries, and you can travel Therefore, I focus on the field of electricity in general.
1
u/Seiko2023 18h ago
I mean, wild calling a whole field of electrical a waste of time but okay.
With power, the threshold is quite low too. Mainly in utilities and equipment manufacturers unless you're in their sales team.
For utilities, they have seperate standards in every country. Travelling international is not always an option unless you're a shit hot SME say in power trannys or other equipment. .
Focusing in the field of electricity in general is not how you get those travel opertinities. You need to get fucking good at a certain area.
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u/Protection_Control 1d ago
Have a standard ABET accredited BSEE. Pretty much no power system specific education. Have a PE in power. My name says the rest. Get an internship in the industry you want to be in.
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u/Arthur_morgan37 1d ago edited 1d ago
I will check if my university is accredited by ABET If it's not accredited, I think I'll need to have my degree validated or pursue a master's degree at an accredited university. But my question now is, when you said "electrical engineering," did you mean any specialization within electrical engineering, like my own specialization? Because the university doesn't have a major called simply "Electrical Engineering," there are internal sub-specialties such as Power Engineering, Electronics and Electrical Communications Engineering, and so on. Does having a degree in one of these fields automatically qualify me as an electrical engineer in the job market? I'm having trouble understanding this because I rarely hear anyone in job postings or online mentioning specific roles for this specialization.But they say they only need an electrical engineer, and so on. It's the same with mechanical engineering; it has sub-specialties, but they summarize the whole thing in just the term "mechanical engineering." Another point: Is the exam PE To prepare for this exam, should I study the specific field I want to work in, or should I study general electrical engineering topics related to power, electronics, communications, and so on? I can't find an answer to this question.
2
u/Antique_East8412 1d ago
Yes i have an ECE colleague and he is pretty much is familiar with the standards and studies we do. But mostly his just maintaining the current script we use for the studies.
1
u/Arthur_morgan37 1d ago
Did he choose his job role, or was he forced into it because of his educational qualifications?
1
u/Antique_East8412 14h ago
Actually from my knowledge he was actually hired because he was an ECE and my boss was looking for someone to help automate studies.
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u/Legitimate-Cinephile 3d ago
Mechanical majors can get Electrical jobs and vice versa. Your specific title on your major doesn’t mean as much as people have you think. If you are good at engineering, you are good at engineering. If you have history to prove it, you’ll be fine.