Electrical Engineers

At some companies, a five-day, 40-hour workweek is still the norm, but it is becoming much less common. Many electrical engineers regularly work 10 or 20 hours of overtime a week. Electrical engineers in research and development, or those conducting experiments, often need to work at night or on weekends. Workers who supervise production activities may need to come in during the evenings or on weekends to handle special production requirements. In addition to the time spent on the job, many electrical engineers also participate in professional associations and pursue additional training during their free time. Many high-tech companies allow flex-time, which means that workers can arrange their own schedules within certain time frames.

Most electrical engineers work in fairly comfortable environments. Engineers involved in research and design may work in specially equipped laboratories. Engineers involved in development and manufacturing work in offices and may spend part of their time in production facilities. Depending on the type of work one does, there may be extensive travel. Electrical engineers involved in field service and sales spend significant time traveling to see clients. Those who work for large corporations may travel to other plants and manufacturing companies, both around the country and at foreign locations.

Engineering professors spend part of their time teaching in classrooms, part of it doing research either in labs or libraries, and some of the time still connected with industry.