what is electrical engineering? what does an electrical engineer do?

In this blog, I will try to cover up with what actually is electrical engineering, what do electrical engineers do, what are it’s various branches and how it emerged as one of the most important engineering discipline all across the globe. Finally, I will touch upon it’s scope in Pakistan and the institutions where you get this degree from.

What is Electrical Engineering?

Electrical engineering is one of the newer branches of engineering, and dates back to the late 19th century. It is the branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity. Since its early beginnings, the field of electrical engineering has grown and branched out into a number of specialized categories, including power generation and transmission systems, motors, batteries and control systems.

Critical skills needed in electrical engineering include an in-depth understanding of electrical and electronic theory, mathematics and materials. In short, Electrical Engineering is one of the core engineering fields. Nowadays, electronics is part of everyday life and electrical engineering plays a vital role in our lives. We all owe electrical engineering for all these computers, IT and respective advances that we have made till now.

What does an Electrical Engineer do?

Today’s electrical engineers design electrical devices and systems using basic components such as conductors, coils, magnets, batteries, switches, resistors, capacitors, inductors, diodes and transistors. Nearly all electrical and electronic devices, from the generators at an electric power plant to the microprocessors in your phone, use these few basic components so it can be summarized as Electrical engineers design, develop, test and manage the manufacturing of electrical equipment.

Branches of Electrical Engineering:

There are many sub-disciplines of electrical engineering. Some electrical engineers specialize exclusively in one sub-discipline, while others specialize in a combination of sub-disciplines. The most popular sub-disciplines are:

Electronics Engineering: Electronic engineers research, design, create, and test electronic systems and components to be used in areas such as telecommunications, acoustics, aerospace guidance, and propulsion control, or instruments and controls. Electronics engineers hone in on the smaller parts, such as individual computers, electronic circuits, resistors, capacitors, inductors, transistors and diodes.
Power Engineering: A power engineer, also called a power systems engineer, deals with a subfield of electrical engineering that involves the generation, transmission, distribution and utilization of electric power, along with the electrical equipment associated with these systems (such as transformers, generators, motors and power electronics).
Telecommunication Engineering: Telecommunications engineering is a discipline centered on electrical and computer engineering which attempts to assist and improve telecommunication systems. A telecommunications engineer’s work will range from doing basic circuit design. and provide solutions for wireless modes of communication and information transfer, such as wireless telephone services.

Electrical Engineers in 21st Century:

New tools and software can help us build and model just about anything under the sun. Right now a team of interdisciplinary researchers at Harvard University is working to create a swarm of “intelligent” robotic bees that may one day pollinate flowers and engage in search-and-rescue missions. With advances in photonics, silicon electronic ‘bits’ may be replaced by “qubits,” allowing us to compute using the interaction of light and matter.

And in the next decades, computing will become more powerful, going to the ultrafast processing and be truly ubiquitous, enabling us to model not only the mysteries of the brain but also the birth of galaxies, or global climate—and even making it easier to navigate our city streets, or work and shop online. Many challenges of the twenty-first century, such as fossil fuel energy resources, require a new approach.

Scope of Electrical Engineering in Pakistan:

It is quite high keeping in view the current power crisis and emergence of projects for power generation. The number and areas of employment have actually risen lately in Pakistan. Secondly, in last decade many manufacturers have their own power generation setups as their primary and alternate source of energy.
Govt power management organizations also need their share of Electrical Engineers plus its many initiatives involve power generation through hydral, coal and solar energy sources. Then there are power distribution companies (the xESCOs and NEPRA etc.) Several wind power generation sites are being established at shore line of Sindh and coal and solar projects are also being launched by private producers. So in my view the requirement is there at the moment and is going to see a steady rise in at least next 4-5 years. After that who knows!

Universities offering admission in Electrical Engineering Degree:

Without further ado, here’s the list of the best electrical engineering universities of Pakistan. These universities are listed according to HEC/PEC ranking.