One science related career I have always been
interested in is the Electrical Engineer. The main tasks of electrical
engineers are to design, build and test electrical systems.
In Secondary School, aspiring electrical
engineers should focus on taking subjects such as mathematics, science and technical
studies. A sample timetable for a grade 12 student trying to get into a post-secondary
electrical engineering program would be the following; English (mandatory),
Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Advanced Functions, Calculus and Vectors, Data
Management and Computer Science. Students should make sure to take U and M
level courses. The University of Waterloo states that they accept admissions
for the electrical engineering program from students who have an average in the
high 80’s and above. (Waterloo Electrical Engineering Information Page)
Electrical Engineers require a Bachelor’s degree
in electrical engineering or a similar subject, although Graduate degree or
Doctorate degrees are required for several senior level positions. There is an abundance
of Universities offering programs in electrical engineering all over Canada. In
just Ontario, twelve Universities offer this program. The best place to study
electrical engineering in Canada is simply up to personal preference. Some
people may prefer other one school over the other for various reasons like
commute, price to live on campus etc. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really
matter about what University you attend. As long as the program has been
approved, and you receive your degree, you are considered qualified for the
job. However, having the name of a prestigious University versus one that is
not well known on your resume is always nice.
Some of
the more known Universities that offer this program are the University of
Waterloo, and the University of Western Ontario. The University of Waterloo is
known for their co-op program. Students who decide to enroll in Waterloo’s
co-op program spend five years obtaining their degrees instead of four, but get
the experience of multiple co-op placements. I have met many Waterloo graduates
who claim that they were able to pay their entire tuition and books off with
just the money they earned from their co-op, which is a very good thing. University
is very expensive, and leaves many people drowned neck deep in debt. The
University of Western Ontario also has a co-op program for its students,
although not as extensive as the one at Waterloo. Western is also quite old,
being established in 1878. This means that their libraries are quite
established and finding some academic journals on a topic you need may be
easier than doing so at a newer institute.
The
career of an electrical engineer interests me in many ways. Firstly, I like
working with electrical circuits and troubleshooting them when they don’t quite
work out. Being a member on a FIRST Robotics team and working very closely with
our robots electrical system has given me a lot of experience on this topic. I
also like the pay that this job offers. According to CareerCruising, electrical
engineers get paid anywhere from 45 to 150 + thousand dollars a year, with the average
being around 70 000. I like this because it offers me just enough money so I
can enjoy my life, yet doesn’t provide me so much money that I spend it like a
maniac and accumulate piles of debt. Another thing I like about this career is
the working conditions. I’ve always wanted to work most of my time in the office
for a normal forty hour work week. I have never wanted to work out in the
field, or in a noisy and dirty environment. Additionally, I like how much the
career is dependent on technology such as Computer Aided Design.
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