As one of the fastest growing engineering disciplines, electrical engineering covers a wide range of tasks, from the development of plug-in hybrid cars to the generation of wind and solar energy. An electrical engineer could maintain the wiring system in his office, but he could also repair the wiring in the space shuttle.
Here are five more interesting subdisciplines of electrical engineering:
Signal processing An electrical engineer specialized in signal processing analyzes any digital or analog signal. She could develop speech recognition software or design the screen for a new digital camera.
Mechatronics OK, then this is not technically a subdiscipline of electrical engineering, but a combination of several disciplines. It combines mechanical and electrical engineering with computer programming and software design, and is responsible for the creation of complex systems. The mechatronics experts built the Mars rovers; They also designed anti-lock brakes in their car.
Instrumentation Engineering An electrical engineer who works on measuring devices such as thermometers, flow meters and scales is an instrumentation engineer. These tools are often a single component in a larger system, so instrumentation engineers must be well versed in a variety of engineering disciplines.
Telecommunications All communication signals must go from one place to another, regardless of the medium. And if those signals pass through fiber optic cables, satellites or cell towers, a telecommunications engineer is responsible for the maintenance of those means.
Microelectronics. Electrical engineers working in this field develop, maintain and manufacture capacitors, diodes, resistors, transistors and other small components. Microelectronics engineers must be educated in semiconductor technology, as well as in materials science and chemistry.
D. Michael Kirby is a freelance writer who lives in California. Write about travel, technology, home improvement and a plethora of other topics. One of its clients, Enerdyne Engineering, is the leading provider of plumbing engineering services and a host of other engineering consulting services in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Delaware.