Jacob Siegrist

Zachary Bugosh
Charles Bailey
Group 9
Due: 9/22/15
Engineering Disciplines: Electrical and Computer Engineering
With the invention of the telegraph in the 19th century, electrical engineering has
ingrained its place within the heart of American consumers. Communication by telegraph was
one of the more pivotal inventions for mankind and marked the beginning of a new age for
technology. Many men and women worked their whole lives to better understand and improve
this technology, and ultimately they built the foundation for what is now known as the field of
electrical and computer engineering. From wireless internet devices, autonomous robot vacuums,
and electronic throttle control, electrical and computer engineers have designed features of
almost every aspect of our lives and, in doing so, they have created a strong desire for their
expertise in the workplace. By definition, Electrical engineers design, develop, test, and
supervise the manufacturing of electrical equipment, such as electric motors, radar and
navigation systems, communications systems, and power generation equipment (Electrical and
Electronics Engineer 2014).
Electrical engineering thought of as one of the four most common engineering majors
has proved to be a great choice for young engineers unsure of what field of study they want to
pursue. With a national median income of $95,780 this profession proves to be one of the most
financially optimistic of the engineering fields, not to mention many other important qualities
such as high quality of life, manageable stress level in the workplace, and generally regular work
hours (Electrical and Electronics Engineer 2014). The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics
reports that the job outlook for electrical engineers over the next ten years should grow by 4%
(Electrical and Electronics Engineer 2014). This 4% is under the national average of job growth,
but intuition feels like this may be an under estimate. Based on the national culture, it seems

Jacob Siegrist
Zachary Bugosh
Charles Bailey
Group 9
Due: 9/22/15
improbable that the market for consumer products involving computers and electrical devices
will come to a halt or even slow down. Even our cars now contain upwards of 30 microprocessor
controlled devices (Motavalli 2010).
Navigating the workplace can be a daunting feat for the average person looking for a job;
for a young adult just graduating with a bachelors degree, it may seem impossible. Getting good
grades might not be the most important factor when applying for a job. Network Matthew
Hansen replied, after asked about what advice he would give to a newly graduated electrical or
computer engineer looking to enter the workplace (Hansen 2015). There are hundreds of new
engineers looking for the same jobs so its really important for someone to be able to speak on
your behalf to tell your future employer that you work hard and will do a good job. It is now
commonly accepted, and backed up with research, that somewhere between 60-80% of people
are hired based on relationships (Driscoll 2011). That means that the vast majority of people
were hired based on the fact that someone could vouch for them at their place of work. While it
may seem high at first glance, most employers are looking for people with the right peopleskills to ensure that the employee-employer relationship thrives. Schooling tends to favor those
who master material and perform well on examinations; the workplace is a dynamic process
where the questions of Who you know? tends to be more important than What you know?
Matthew grew up in small town Gaylord, Michigan and was a son to middle school
teachers. Expressing himself as mechanically inclined and a bit of a techie, electrical
engineering just felt natural (Hansen 2015). He enrolled at Kettering University because of its
co-op opportunities allowing him to gain experience at the workplace for half of the year while
attending school for the other half. Bosch, a supplier for a remarkable amount of engineering

Jacob Siegrist
Zachary Bugosh
Charles Bailey
Group 9
Due: 9/22/15
parts, hired him on a co-op basis to work in designing adaptive cruise control systems. He and
many of the other entrance level engineers work in analysis; they use computer programs to
simulate how their parts will behave in the field. Although he enjoyed working at Bosch for the
five years it took him to complete his degree, he thought he would pursue other potential
opportunities he might have in the workplace. The only problem was he was looking for jobs as
many engineering companies were still recovering from the recession of 2008. Needless to say,
he didnt have very many offers. He also admits that by growing up in a small town like Gaylord,
he was very late in the game in understanding the importance of networking. He did relatively
well in college, but he realized too late that he should have been trying to form more personal
connections with his superiors.
Matthew made it especially clear that he thought there were an abundance of companies
that would normally be hiring electrical engineers if not for the state of the economy. He knew
guys who graduated a couple years after him that were hired by IBM, Google, and Boeing.
Matthew has worked for Bosch over 8 years now and has thought about looking into other
opportunities, but says that he is content for now. After he was asked to elaborate on why he
feels content, he notes, getting an entrance level position was 10 times harder than getting a
promotion within my company; get your foot in the door somewhere you wouldnt mind working
awhile because they usually give you incentives for staying (Hansen 2015). Economically it
made more sense for him to continue working for Bosch, and he also had developed relationships
with his co-workers that he was not willing to abandon. As he gains experience, he also gains
responsibility and hopes to work in a more of a manager type role later in his career.

Jacob Siegrist
Zachary Bugosh
Charles Bailey
Group 9
Due: 9/22/15
Almost every facet of our daily lives involves something that an electrical engineer has
designed and this trend does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon. Although the job
outlook for electrical engineers is not going to grow exponentially over the next ten years, there
is no way they could be eliminated from todays society; this makes their job security a definite
advantage. Although performing well in engineering school is important, it may be even more
important to get to know the professors as their recommendation could be the difference between
getting a job and being unemployed.

Jacob Siegrist
Zachary Bugosh
Charles Bailey
Group 9
Due: 9/22/15
Works Cited Page
Driscoll, Emily. "It's All About Who You Know: Networking to Get the Job." Fox Business.
N.p., 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 19 Sept. 2015. <http://www.foxbusiness.com/personalfinance/2011/04/25/know-networking-job/>.
"Electrical and Electronics Engineer." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, 8 Jan. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2015. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-andengineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm>.
Motavalli, Jim. "The Dozens of Computers That Make Modern Cars Go (and Stop)." The New
York Times. The New York Times, 04 Feb. 2010. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/technology/05electronics.html?_r=0>.
Hansen, Matthew. "Electrical Engineering." Telephone interview. 17 Sept. 2015.