8 Things You Probably Didnt Know About Being an Electrical Engineer

Hello Everyone! I know you are so busy with all your assignments and quizzes .But the thing is I liked
one of the post in a website and thought of sharing something with you EEE (its not Entertainment
Entertainment Entertainment its Electronics and Electrical Engineering)people.
1. The first one is.
Engineers are never worried for the - "What Is Answer?"..
They will only ask, "Which answer you want?" .. !
2. Secondly, all your friends and family will think youre an electricianor some sort of electronics
engineer
Every time theres a power outage, or a TV stops working, or a cars battery is dead, etc. someone will
inevitably say, Hey, youre the electrical engineer! Why dont you fix the (generic thing that runs on
electricity)? Listen folks, just because something runs on electricity, doesnt mean that I know how to
fix it. And also, Ive never wired a house before. I can tell you what the code says you should be using
for the correct wire sizes and how many receptacles should be powered by that one circuit, but I dont
have the tools or expertise to invent a generator when our utility power gets knocked out. I design
circuits for pumps and fans all day, okay?
3. Everyone makes fun of Civil engineers
What exactly do they do anyhow? According to Peter an Electrical Engineer, I learned at my first job
that mechanicals and electricals like to rag on each other, but they both enjoy ganging up on the
civils. I think its because so many of our clients were civils who thought they knew stuff about our
fields and really didnt have a clue. Now I work for a company crawling with civils. I better watch my
back.
4. But not as much as the architects
But even the civils get to join in and make fun of the architects. Unfortunately for them, we engineers
dont hold architects in as high regard as George Costanza. After all, arent they just art school
dropouts with tilted desks and big rulers?
5. Youre the last to know
Perhaps all this teasing is rooted in something deeper than who thinks who had the toughest classes to
get through back in college, but rather its because there is a pecking order in consulting, and
unfortunately for us, electricals are at the low end of the totem pole. It goes as follows:
Architects plan the layout of the building
Civils do site work or whatever it is about the process that they design within the building (these first
two may vary in order depending on the project)
Mechanicals size the pumps/fans/other stuff that carry out the process and lay them out in the building
Electricals get whatever space is left to place our panelboards/MCCs/transformers and then design the
circuits that power everything.
As you can see, each step is reliant upon the step before it, so oftentimes were stuck twiddling our
thumbs waiting on everyone else so we can begin our design. But the architectural firms are often
driving these projects as lead consultants and dont care about details like that, they just want their
deadlines met. Also, when you ask them to move a door or window so you can have some wall/floor
space to place your panelboard, you can practically hear them rolling their eyes as they let out a sigh
and agree to help you out.
6. You use what you learned in English class far more than what you learned in math and science
(according to Peter)
Dont get me wrong, youll take more than your fill of math and science courses throughout your
education if you want the engineering degree. But day to day, Im composing/reading emails from
clients and fellow consultants, reading and editing specifications, and talking on the phone far more
than Im actually crunching numbers on my calculator. You need strong written and verbal skills in
most jobs these days, and engineering is no exception. Honestly, algebra is the highest form of math
Ive ever used on the job, and I dont think Ill ever touch calculus. Ive seen the integrals they use to
calculate arc flash incident energies, and Im thankful for the software that does those for me.

7. Youll get to travel, but you wont be planning your next vacation to the locations (according to
Peter)
Youre going to have to make some site visits every now and then to either gather information pre
design, or to inspect the implementation of your design after its been built. If youre in my field, youll
find that these plants/facilities arent put in glamorous locations, because lets face it, nobody wants to
live next door to the wastewater treatment plant. Even the coolest trips Ive gone on (Fairbanks and
False Pass) were neat experiences, but I wouldnt go back on my free time.
8. Youll begin to noticeeverything (according to Peter)

My very first day on the job, my boss took me for a walk down the street near our office. He pointed out
the cabinet that contained the controller for the traffic lights. He showed me the junction boxes in the
sidewalk that contained the power cabling for the street lights. Suddenly, I wanted to know where
everything got its power from. I wanted to know how everything was controlled. It was as if my eyes
were opened, and I could go on seeing the world in a far more vigilant way. Ill give you an example:
At my first job, I got to design airport runway and taxiway light configurations. Now every time I fly I
look out the window to pay attention to the patterns of the taxiway and runway lights, comparing
them to what I remembered when I had to learn the FAAs codes and standards for airport design. Its
pretty coolin a nerdy, engineering kind of way.
Well, there you have it. I hope you learned something. Pardon me if I bore you..
Sohani Mehzabin Prova
ID:12221072
Dept:EEE

Reference:
Pete Magete Blog
peterchristensen on January 17, 2013
Posted in: My Life Experiences.http://peterchristensen.wordpress.com/2013/01/17/7-things-you-probably-didnt-know-about-being-an-
electrical-engineering-consultant/