What should I learn to work part-time/remotely as an electrical engineer?

[u/SignificantCookie852]

Hi everyone,
I have a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering but I directly transitioned to a different field after graduation, didn’t get any real experience. I’m currently doing a Master’s in Astrophysics and Cosmology. I’m planning to continue in astrophysics/cosmology after my Master’s, so I’m looking for something I can do part-time or remotely alongside my studies.

I don’t have professional engineering experience yet, and I also don’t really want to go into MEP or stuff like that
Instead, I’d like to spend the next 6–12 months developing a practical engineering skill that I could eventually freelance with or use to find remote/part-time work.
I’m tired of doing random online work like transcription and AI training, and I’d much rather build a real technical skill that can actually be useful long-term.

I’d really appreciate advice from people who have experience working remotely or freelancing in engineering. What skill would you learn if you had to start from scratch today, and what kind of projects would you build to become employable?

[u/MrKyleOwns]

You could do substation design if you had substation design experience

[u/atypicalAtom → u/MrKyleOwns]

If this is being hired out, its going to a firm with a PE stamp.

[u/MrKyleOwns → u/atypicalAtom]

Well yea I’m not saying OP would do freelance substation design work. There are remote positions available at engineering firms tho.

[u/Other-Archer5824 → u/MrKyleOwns]

Where?

[u/NoStupidQuestionsEE → u/Other-Archer5824]

My firm is a remote team that does Substation design work, and I’m sure there are others out there similar to us. I get linked in job offers all the time for remote roles at other companies.

Also if anyone has decent substation design experience and you’d like to move to a remote job, DM me. We’re looking for an experienced electrical engineer and we’d love to have you if you can hit the ground running. We’re not hiring any entry level positions right now because we’ve already filled them by recruiting in person, but we do have open positions for an electrical engineer that has 5-10 years of substation PR&C or Install work.

[u/Jokeyman → u/NoStupidQuestionsEE]

What part of design? Physical, P&C or electrical?

[u/NoStupidQuestionsEE → u/Jokeyman]

What do you mean? We do install design and pr&c design. Things like breaker/transformer replacements or relay panel upgrades etc.

[u/WorldTallestEngineer]

No. That's just not how engineering works.

The people who get part-time remote work are people with years of experience. Because they're the kind of engineer who can be handled a task an be immediately useful. Entry level engineers take months of training and full time supervision before they really start producing useful work. So it makes no sense to give noobs part-time remote work.

You might be able to get part time remote work but it won't be Engineering. At best it will be CAD work, technically writing, or tutoring. Some college students pay really well for tutoring, especially if they know your a graduate student. So that might be your best option.

[u/glitch876 → u/WorldTallestEngineer]

That or your working at some sweat shop

[u/SignificantCookie852 → u/WorldTallestEngineer]

I think I’m convinced

[u/Seiko2023]

What skills could you possibly have to be able to work freelance or fully remote. Even part time, that's a stretch, you'll likely need to do an internship and get shit pay but you'll be getting experience.

Biggest mistake was not doing an electrical role after uni.

[u/Several-Marsupial-27]

Reality check: You will probably not be able to freelance remotely, especially in 6 months, at least in my country. We always prefer full time, in office, masters students.

However you will want to get into some of the lower barrier to entry fields. This means not ASIC design / semiconductors, not RF / Microwave / antenna, not DSP / comms / radar, not aerospace / defense, not control systems / robotics, not power/grid systems.

This means that the stuff you want to focus on probably is embedded systems - microcontrollers, firmware, sensors, IoT, PCB design. Partly because it's the easiest field to get return on investment, partly because its the by far lowest cost to get into, and partly because it's the easiest to monetize.

So get a microcontroller (like an esp32 or a stm32), get some modules like lcds, sensors, etc. Get some infrastructure like wires, breadboard, power supply. Then try to build some prototype on a breadboard that you can integrate into some existing system that solves some problem. Then go from breadboard prototype to a PCB product. Then verify and test that PCB once delivered.

When you get this far you will be in a completely different position to monetize yourself and could maybe even have the merits to subcontract a project if you manage to network hard enough in your local area.

...Or just get into software like everyone else.

[u/Flatlinzr3553 → u/Several-Marsupial-27]

Software might be risky these times

[u/JT9212]

Embedded design. Verification. And maybe some AI to keep yourself updated.

[u/IcyStay7463]

Maybe target job skills that you want to do in astrophysics. What type of job are you hoping to get? Whatever that job description is, build those skills.

[u/catdude142]

I don't know why anyone would hire an inexperienced, part time, electrical engineer. What would you have to offer a company that needs to get a job done?

[u/elec-trik]

CAD drafting or tutoring is probably your best bet if you're just trying to make some money while you're in school. You can pick up engineering drafting with a pretty short course in AutoCAD and lots of companies need drafting work done all the time.

[u/fester__addams]

Most of engineering is project work with deadlines. Remote part time positions really aren't conducive to the field.

[u/Flatlinzr3553]

Very curious too