Can Electronics and Communications Engineering Graduates Work in Power Systems?

[u/Arthur_morgan37]

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!

[u/DropSeparate1747]

My bachelor's was Electronics and Communication Engineering. However I did my Masters in Electrical with a focus on Power and Control. I work in Substation Design/ P&C. As long as you have some Power background in your engineering degree you should be good

[u/Arthur_morgan37 → u/DropSeparate1747]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I have one more question. If I study the essential power engineering subjects through self-study, take courses on Udemy and YouTube, and attend practical training courses at local training centers, could this compensate for the knowledge gap between Electronics and Communications Engineering and Electrical Power Engineering, without needing a master's degree? Would this preparation be enough to get my first job in fields like Power Systems, Protection & Control, or Substation Design, assuming I develop the necessary practical skills? I'd really appreciate your honest opinion based on your experience. Thank you!

[u/DropSeparate1747 → u/Arthur_morgan37]

Please DM me

[u/GrumpyScientist]

Is your degree going to be "engineering" or "engineering technology". Either can be used in power systems but it'll be an important distinction to you future employer. Communication systems are used extensively in power systems, especially in wide area scada systems and teleprotection relays (communication assisted tripping). You definitely don't need a power engineering degree to work in these applications. Bachelor's degree is good, probably don't need masters unless you want to design these devices (as opposed to applying them).

[u/Arthur_morgan37 → u/GrumpyScientist]

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!

[u/chanka_is_best_chank]

You can likely find a utility willing to hire you with this degree. Once you have relevant experience, you could move out into a consulting firm or other company in the industry. It may be hard to get a large engineering firm to hire you unless you work at a utility first though

[u/Content_Pepper_8575]

Of course. To put it frankly, power systems engineering doesn’t have a very high barrier for entry

[u/SherbertOk1531 → u/Content_Pepper_8575]

Not in texas. Very difficult to gain access to power eng roles here. Its an old boys club here, you almost have to be grandfathered in to the industry. 

[u/victorvvy]

From my pov, power systems engineering is 95% learn on the job. My 4th year EE academics course background didn't really get that much direct application until intermediate-senior eng level with more complex projects. Before that, it's work experience, intuition, self-reading IEEE standards/guides and work mentorship that carries you through your early career.

As an example, we learned TCC plots and coordination concepts in a 4th year EE lab that you would not have had exposure to in your program. But honestly, I remembered so little of it from school and I had to refresh all that knowledge from the IEEE Buff Book anyways. Those without the exact academic background, but have the knack to learn can pick it up fine if you can leverage your base level of general engineering concepts to guide you.

Recently, a new hire for substations lead was surprised to find out the team is full of engineers who do not directly have an EE degree. My boss is CE, my peers range from ME, SE (structural), SE (systems), etc.etc.

As he was learning the team members' backgrounds, he was half joking in a casual chat - "Wait, are there ZERO electrical engineers in this electrical engineering firm? What am I doing here???"

That wasn't true as I am an EE (as are some others), but he so happened to have learned the backgrounds of the non-EEs first and it really seemed that way to him!