r/ElectricalEngineering

I work at a small-mid tier boomer-filled defense firm working on PDUs and Actuator Control Modules. I've been an EE for +9 years.

And holy hell, some of these older engineers seem like absolute schmucks. Like a bunch of hard working schmucks in a bubble that have no sense what the job market is like for the rest of the 99% of Americans.

They show up to work at 8 AM in their khakis, tucked-in button downs, carrying a lunch box and a wearing a backpack like they just got a kiss from their mother as they head to grade school.

Then they go into a gray building to sit in a gray box and proceed to do ABSOLUTE BLACK MAGIC at a level of analytical rigor that is utterly imperceptible to the average well-qualified white collar workers.

And what do they get for it after +20 years of being an EE? A measly $120K and stock/retirement benefits that only began vesting after being there for at least a year.

I mean seriously, how are y'all okay with this? Especially when not too long ago project managers in IT companies were able to roll out of bed at 9 AM, completely hungover, log onto their PCs, be present for a bunch of useless Zoom meetings and then get paid nearly double the amount you do plus WAY more vacation days and stock benefits.

Is that fair? Does that seem fair to you?

That you're in there breaking your back in the lab with a failing central AC unit, turning knobs on a scope, getting your piece of crap National Instruments equipment sync'd up with LabView, going back to your desk to re-run MATHCAD calculations and reading boring ass de-rating guidelines.

And for what? FOR WHAT?!

So that on your deathbed you can tell the world you worked on the "JYRO-XYZ-47392" or whatever dumb made-up internal project name they gave to a heavy ass Phase-Array Unit.

You are the epitome of the good little boy or good little girl our corrupt education system uses to manufacture indentured servitude. You are the kid that presents the cure to cancer at a science fair right before the CIA takes you to a hidden empty room to reems you up the ass before putting a bullet in you.

You EEs are extremely hard-working, creative and have a work ethic of rigorous caliber that would make the average American shake in their boots.

STOP PUTTING UP WITH SHIT PAY 🫵

also, go to the gym.

DNOs and National Grid are clearly struggling to retain field-workers - Protection/Commissioning Engineers, SAPs, Fitters, Jointers, Linesmen

Hence the massive uptick in outsourcing work and entire projects to contractors.

Clearly, contractors must put much better offers on the table.

If you're in the industry, I would appreciate if you could share:

- The role (132-400kv Protection Engineers, 132-400kv SAPs, 132-400kv Fitters, Jointers, Linesmen)

- The pay/benefits offered by the contractor (better if you can compare DNO/NG vs contractor)

- Area of the country eg - Scottish Highlands, English Midlands, West England, Wales, etc

No need to name any companies, if you would like not to.

It's impossible to locate information on this without being in the industry. From what I've seen online, these positions at DNOs/NG seem to pay reasonably well from an outside perspective. Therefore, the offers made by contracting firms must be significantly higher for staff to consistently keep leaving.

Thank you for sharing!

Hey everyone, looking for a reality check here.

I’m entering my senior year as an Electrical Engineering major. I’ve been interning at a power/infrastructure engineering company this summer.

Going into the fall, the original understanding was that I would be able to transition to working remotely so I could complete my final year of school on schedule.

My manager just completely backtracked on that decision. He claimed that working remotely "wouldn't be fair to other employees" and is now pushing me to take a full gap year from university to stay on-site.

On top of asking me to delay my degree:
They are capping my hours at under 30/week (part-time).
The pay is around $20/hr, which requires an out-of-state commute every day.

The work I'm being asked to cover is well above typical intern scope.

I’m definitely prioritizing finishing my degree on time. My main question for the sub: Is it normal for co-op/internship managers to pull a bait-and-switch on remote work and expect students to pause their entire degree for low-pay, part-time hours?
How would you handle stepping away professionally in this situation without burning bridges unnecessarily?

how do I start networking as an Electrical engineering student, I understand the importance of networking but genuinely do not understand where does one start or how do you build connections,I could not not find a guide or a specific strategy for engineers online and I kept getting articles about Network engineering rather then networking for engineering (tho I would say I am at fault for this).But if anyone has any suggestions or personal experiences that they would like to share I would genuinely appreciate that, thank you.

thank you god for such wonderful news

To start, I do not mean textbooks.

Does anyone have good book recommendations for EE or similar topics?

Just looking for some nonfiction books to read and I am currently in school for EE, so why not get some knowledge with my entertainment? Doesn't have to be strictly EE either, just want something close to the topic.

So i have a question. Normally since i was a kid i wanted to study CS however in my country (Turkey) a lot of speculations are happening rn about the department. Some say at the time i graduate i will be jobless and i will regret not doing something else (like EE). So i thought about it and i though EE could be the job i may take since it can get you nice wages, has some opurtunity to work with a computer etc. However im concerned bcuz i was not a physics person didnt really like it even i had great grades. Maths was better tho. So i wanted to ask u guys if i can get used to it and study. Some said its a really hard major (i get like extreme stress whenever i feel some pressure). So what would u say and advice. Thanks!

Hello! I am a 1st year going to second electrical engineering student, I would like to see your opinion and advices regarding my situation, so I am studying electrical engineering and computers in romania, and throughout the past years ive figured I have greater passion for doing math weather it's proof based or computational I am even doing self studies on the side.

I want to know if it's possible to do math related masters after I finish my bachelor

Note: I do have a passion for solving and optimizing electrical circuits I do enjoy electrical engineering but my greater passion is doing math on which I want to pursue a PhD on later on if possible.

Stumbled across a interesting phenomenon that I want to share with you all. Because the inductor wants to keep the current flowing, when the polarity of the AC Voltage source swings negative, the inductor fights against it to prevent current from flowing in reverse.

https://preview.redd.it/hrxfr531c8kh1.png?width=1485&format=png&auto=webp&s=5ddf1def9a97c5ffa77c8cea0ba74417af194309

FALSTAD CIRCUIT

I have a cursory introduction to this through school, but I've been out a while know, so much of it is fuzzy.

What are some good resources to dig deeper into this topic? And motors in general to be fair. Web resources and books welcome. Also, good YouTube videos too.

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to learning something more on the topic

(I don't mean to sound negative cause I'm really excited for my future in EE, I just feel a little lost and directionless as of now.)

When I was in high school, I was really into programming and reverse engineering. I was big into contributing to open source projects and working on a lot of collaborative RE projects with people. I learnt so much from the people I worked with, and I learnt so much about programming and computers from this time. It was so cool that I was able to work alongside all these cool people as a hobbyist, you know?

I started studying EE at uni this year, and I'm really missing that collaborative aspect that was so prevalent in programming. EE feels a little isolating compared to it tbh. Does anyone else feel the same way? What's the EE equivalent of stuff like contributing to open source, for example?

I wasn't sure whether to post here or the conspiracy theory sub, but here goes. My wife sent me an Instagram video (yes, I know) in which a guy claims that if you have a 120 volt outlet with built-in USB jacks, and also have a smart electrical meter, your data can be stolen and sent to, uh, the power company? China? Who knows. He says you need to always use a power block instead. Aren't the internal power converters in the plug doing the same function as an external block? Maybe there is a grain of truth here because travelers are warned not to use public USB jacks but being afraid of the ones in your home sounds like a tin foil hat theory to me.

Do you use the right hand rule cause you dont remember which is the right way?

Hello recently I have obtained two offers.

One being the title Principal Engineer, 150K with Northrop Grumman contingent on customer approval and SAP with a tentative date. I have TS/SCI, but nervous on the contingency, and how long it can take, maybe I'm overthinking it.

The second being 110K + pension with the Air Force, general engineering, with a guaranteed hire date.

What should I pick?

Same as title