How to Become an Electrical Engineer
Design, develop, and test electrical equipment and systems. It typically requires a bachelor's degree, with a median salary of $120,630 per year and much faster than average projected job growth.
Median pay
$120,630/yr
Middle half
$92,830 to $152,950
Job growth
Much faster than average
Openings / yr
11,700
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Circuit Design
- Signal Processing
- Power Systems
- Embedded Systems
- Mathematics
Helpful certifications
- PE (Professional Engineer)
- FE (Fundamentals of Engineering)
Is this career a fit?
Remote-friendly
48/100
Work-life balance
70/100
Stress level
35/100
Satisfaction
77/100
Related careers
- Computer Hardware Engineer$161,740 median
- Petroleum Engineer$144,910 median
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960 median
- Nuclear Engineer$133,970 median
- Chemical Engineer$125,040 median
- Materials Engineer$112,860 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does an Electrical Engineer make?
The median pay for an Electrical Engineer is $120,630 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $92,830 and $152,950 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become an Electrical Engineer?
The usual entry point is a bachelor's degree. Common majors are Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, and Electronics Engineering.
Is Electrical Engineer a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is much faster than average (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 11,700 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does an Electrical Engineer use most?
Common skills for this role are Circuit Design, Signal Processing, Power Systems, Embedded Systems, and Mathematics.
Planning to become a Electrical Engineer?
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Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).