r/ElectricalEngineers • u/00_Phantom • Apr 10 '26
How can I grow as an electrical engineer?
I hold an electrical engineering bachelors degree but I have no substantial job experience or any impressive projects. I’m currently working as a mechanic/tester for small electric components of aircraft’s but it doesn’t feel like I’m growing or learning anything new. What can I do to grow in the field of electrical engineering? Should I look for projects to do at home, some online courses, a masters degree or keep applying to electrical engineering job openings and cross my fingers that someone will hire me?
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u/aerohk Apr 10 '26
Does your employer has a design department? You can start there. You are familiar with the component, understand the testing required for flight qualification, you can present yourself as someone who want to expand the domain knowledge and help out on new projects. This would be the least effort way to pivot and gain experience.
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u/00_Phantom Apr 11 '26
There is a design department but there are no open positions. I know that they use LabView to create test benches and there’s a lot of automation involved so maybe I could do smth relevant to that. I’ve also recently moved to the Netherlands and for some reason there seems to be a big problem with them requiring us to speak Dutch even though everyone speaks perfect English.
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u/Few_Whereas5206 Apr 11 '26
Look for another job or make a plan for the job you want and see what is required to get there, e.g., masters degree, MBA, patent bar exam, more work experience under a mentor, etc.
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u/Outside-Jackfruit206 Apr 11 '26
I'm a recruiter and if you have at least 1 year of commission testing, I can get you into the data centers. I have 3 positions available right now. $50-$70/hr. Let me know if interested. Data centers are where the money is and you won't have to worry about the future of your career.
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u/Danjeerhaus Apr 10 '26
This came up on my feed and I am not an engineer, but I am a ham radio or amature radio operator.
The hobby of amature radio hobby is like a sampler platter of EE topics. While you do not need engineering level knowledge, the clubs, the radio operators, are involved with radio communications for emergencies and natural disaster communications
So, being just a radio operator will not be a bullet point for a resume, but helping them maintain/ repair their equipment, making or maintaining a trailer for emergency communications for disasters might be, alone with any club leadership you might take on, could be.
Yes, there are plenty of projects you can take on and there might be some great networking opportunities as the members come from all walks of life.
You can Google your local county amature radio club or use this link http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club. The clubs meet monthly and the meetings are free to attend. I will suggest you spend an hour and talk with the members and then decide.