Engineering Field

[Tilmeedha]

Assalaamu Alaykum,

I had a question with regards to Engineering. I was wondering about the hierarchy of this field. Computer Engineering, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil and so on... Anyone know?

[Khaled]

I don't think there is a hierarchy. It really depends what you're into. Eg, a if you're good with comouters, you'd go for computer engineering. If you like planes, you'd do aerospace engineering and so on. I've worked with data infrastructures for a few years, so I have an interest in telecommunications engineering.

[Muslim..Priincess]

They say electrical engineering is the top one

[Melb]

Electrical engineering is the worst job you could do.

[mayk]

Electrical engineering is the grandfather of Electronic, Control and Computer systems engineering. Their grand-grand-daddy is Science.

[Khaled]

I'm pretty sure aerospace engineering is much more advanced than electrical engineering

[Tilmeedha]

Electrical engineering is the worst job you could do.

What makes you say that?

Jazakumullah Khayr for the responses.

[Melb]

What makes you say that?

Jazakumullah Khayr for the responses.

I am an electrician & have seen too many electrical engineers out of work and a few starting electrical apprenticeships due to no work. It is a very competitive field with very little jobs around and the jobs that are around are very low paid compared to other engineers like electronic engineers.

[Tilmeedha]

I see. So even though Electrical Engineering might be in the top, in terms of jobs, it can be a pain?

[Muslim..Priincess]

Yep it is difficult to find a job with electrical, my father is an electrical engineer and he didn't work much as his profession. So as my ex-maths teacher, she finished her degree and ended up becoming a teacher. It's similar to Aerospace, in Australia there won't be as much job prospects here as in the US. This is what I know so far.

[mayk]

Engineering fields move in cycles. One field is generally in demand at a particular point in time (varies in scales of decades). Everyman and his dog hears about the pay/package of <insert engineering field>, so they get a degree in this particular field and subsequently over-flood the market resulting in ease of demand and only people with experience get the job. People who enter this cycle at the start are the ones who do well, while the late comers not so much. And the cycle continues..

Electrical engineers will be in hot demand in the next 20-30 years, as a lot of electrical engineers are retiring worldwide and nobody wants to do a degree in electrical engineering, as there seem to be more interest in electronics/communications/wireless/optics/nano/Bio-eng even their names are more exciting!. Electrical engineering advanced at a glacial pace in the last century. But renewable sources, new advance grids, more energy-efficient transfers (like all DC networks as originally deployed at the end of 19th century and I digress..) are happening and the companies require new breed of engineers who are well versed in electronics (power electronics in electrical engineering lingo), communications systems as well as electrical engineering.

The good old days of working with hands are vanishing from all engineering disciplines. You just learn the basic concepts, apply them in some tool (e.g. matlab). Design and verify them in software and then send the design off to china to be manufactured. Only high level design, testing and specifications are done in most parts of the developed world (Germany and Japan are still the exception).