Have you always had a thing about setting up wiring? Were you the kind of kid that would take apart broken television sets to see how they worked? If so, you may have considered training as an electrical engineer to help you to make the most of this skill.
However, is attending university the only way to pursue this career? Or are there other more flexible options that you can explore?
Without further ado, here are some of the most common ways to earn a degree in electrical engineering in the US.
University
The most straightforward way to undertake electrical engineering degrees is at university via lectures, workshops, and placements. To apply for a course in electrical engineering, you will need to satisfy the university’s entrance criteria and have qualifications that enable you to meet the admission requirements.
Apprenticeship
Apprenticeships are a great way to learn a skill. With a skill that is so widely recognized and requires a real ‘hands-on’ experience like electrical engineering, there are many workplaces that can offer a degree in this area via an apprenticeship.
You will likely need to be able to qualify for this course via an apprenticeship, just as you would when learning it via a standard course. Also, unlike a standard university course, you will likely need to attend an interview for both the course and the placement itself. In some cases, the interviews that you need to attend to get onto an apprenticeship will be linked, and if you pass the interview, you are granted access to the course and the work placement. An advantage of undertaking any qualification via an apprenticeship is that it allows you to earn a wage (usually reduced) at the same time as the qualification, so there will be less emphasis on taking out student loans.
Online
The internet has revolutionized the way people learn and in 2022, you can now earn the majority of qualifications via an online course.
However, when it comes to earning an electrical engineering qualification, you will be somewhat limited in which universities can offer this degree. So, as always, be sure to check that the university you apply for can offer you the career advancement that you want after getting the degree and that it ranks highly on the league tables.
You will also want to check that any online course you apply for in general offers a recognized qualification.
On-Job Training
Many people assume that training on a job is the same as an apprenticeship, but this is not so.
For instance, an apprenticeship will revolve around you earning the qualification while on a placement, but on-job training is different, as you will already have the job that you are working from and will not lose it once you complete the qualification. You may progress up the career ladder in your workplace, but you will usually not need to look for work after the degree is completed as you would with an apprenticeship.
So, if you aren’t sure if your engineering job allows you to undertake an electrical engineering qualification or not, please talk to your supervisor or boss.