The average starting salary for an electrical engineer is $56,000, with the highest level of training ($125,000) and less experience (1-2 years). Electrical engineering can be a rather accessible field for college students who have graduated in the last 5 years. However, if you are interested in enhancing your math, chemistry, physics and programming skills before furthering your education, you can enroll in one of the many 2-year programs at community colleges or technical colleges for about $4,600 a year.
The average starting salary for electrical engineers is usually around $50,000. However, the salary can rise to as much as $120,000. This page contains a snapshot detailing the salary trends of electrical engineering associate profressional (PE) which is a careers option aspiring engineering students may want to consider.
Average starting salary for electrical engineer
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average starting salary for a recent electrical engineering graduate is $58,618. For a degree in a related field, like electrical engineering technology (EET), the average starting salary is $51,421. But your starting salary isn’t entirely dependent on your degree or experience. It also depends on where you live and work. According to PayScale , cities with the highest starting salaries for EEs include Raleigh at $70,962, Silicon Valley at $69,540 and Houston at $67,041.
The chart below shows the yearly starting salary for numerous occupations in the United States. The electrical engineer is not dead last though, they rank 3rd from bottom. Electrical engineers also bring in a salary of $66000 at their average 10 year work anniversary.
The above table reflects the average starting salary for electrical engineers through a survey conducted on various engineering blogs and forums. The discrepancy between cities is due to the data being collected on a national level despite the fact that some states, such as California, have a significantly higher cost of living. For example, in San Diego, engineers will typically earn between $65K and $80K while in Denver they will earn between $50K and $65K. Ultimately, this information should serve as guidance but it is ultimately up to the discretion of the candidate.
We should take from the findings above that electrical engineers have many lucrative opportunities offered to them depending on their academic field of study as well as their location. Right out of school, most B.S.E.E graduates will begin work at an entry-level salary of around $50,000 per year and a top median salary of $88,000 per year.
Aspiring electrical engineers should focus on choosing a college that has extensive hands-on labs. This will give them the maximum opportunity to learn, and can help set them apart during the job hunt. A Master’s degree is often helpful for eletrical engineers who are looking for higher positions or promotions.
So, what does an electrical engineer do? They work to advance the technology of our world by design and development. When we’re on the go, these engineers make sure that we have power, from smart phones to solar panels, from microwaves to wind turbines. When we get home from a day at the office, these same engineers help us safely store electricity in batteries (or nuclear reactors, when we live near power plants). Electrical engineers make all kinds of things possible in our modern world, and they play a key role in making sure that the technology that runs out lives is safe and up to date.
