How long does it take to become a senior electrical engineer?

It takes between eight years and ten years to become a senior electrical engineer, in most cases. This largely depends on the aptitude of the individual and the requirements of the job. The first step toward becoming a senior electrical engineer is also one of the most important. This is, of course, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline, such as electrical engineering technology or electronics engineering.

What is the highest qualification in electrical engineering?

A Ph.D. in electrical engineering is the highest qualification in electrical engineering. However, there are many steps to gaining this high qualification in the field. The first step toward gaining the highest qualification in electrical engineering is also one of the most important. This is, of course, earning a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering or a related discipline, such as electrical engineering technology or electronics engineering.

What is a senior electrical engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Dr. Angela Rasmussen

A senior electrical engineer is an individual who designs, develops, and tests electrical equipment and systems. Electrical engineers must work and gain experience before becoming senior electrical engineers. They are responsible for leading teams, managing projects, and ensuring that their designs meet safety and quality standards. Senior electrical engineers use their expertise in electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to create new products and improve existing ones. They may work in a variety of industries, including manufacturing, telecommunications, and aerospace.

What general advice would you give to a Senior Electrical Engineer?

Dr. Angela Rasmussen

Professor (Lecturer) Director of Mentoring and Advising Director of Electrical Engineering Senior Projects, University of Utah

Take heart that while Electrical Engineering jobs have been impacted by COVID19, it's impact is minimal in comparison to most other areas. While many areas have been hit hard by layoffs, Electrical Engineering has only slightly been affected in comparison. Many companies have declared hiring freezes and many others are still hiring. Therefore, don't get discouraged. There are Electrical Engineerings jobs needing to be filled! Make sure to be professional in all your interactions and work on improving your online presence.

ScoreSenior Electrical EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.8

Avg. Salary $109,315

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.7

Growth Rate 3%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 15.55%

Black or African American 4.85%

Hispanic or Latino 11.27%

Unknown 4.71%

White 63.44%

Gender

female 6.32%

male 93.68%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress Level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.3

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

6.2

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being a Senior Electrical Engineer?

Pros

High salary
Opportunities for career advancement
Ability to work on complex and challenging projects
Opportunity to mentor junior engineers
Possibility to work with new and emerging technologies

Cons

Long hours and frequent overtime
High level of responsibility and accountability
Requires continued education and training to keep up with advancing technology
Stressful due to tight deadlines and high stakes projects
Repetitive or monotonous at times

Newest jobs for Senior Electrical Engineer in Ashburn, VA

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Key steps to become a senior electrical engineer

Explore senior electrical engineer education requirements

Most common senior electrical engineer degrees

Bachelor's

72.5 %

Master's

17.2 %

Associate

6.4 %

Start to develop specific senior electrical engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Control Systems	4.90%
Electrical Equipment	4.68%
Electrical Systems	4.44%
Analog	4.10%
RF	4.01%

Complete relevant senior electrical engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior electrical engineers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior electrical engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior electrical engineer resumes.

Research senior electrical engineer duties and responsibilities

Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
Design of water/waste water facilities, including microprocessor controls, MCC, SCADA.
Develop the motor control algorithms and analog processing for sensing position using motor current feedback.
Train crews how to retrofit 2x4 fixtures.

Get senior electrical engineer experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become a senior electrical engineer. The most common roles before becoming a senior electrical engineer include electrical engineer, project engineer team lead and electrical design engineer.

Prepare your senior electrical engineer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior electrical engineer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior electrical engineer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Electrical Engineer Resume templates

Build a professional Senior Electrical Engineer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Senior Electrical Engineer resume.

Apply for senior electrical engineer jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior electrical engineer job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do senior electrical engineers rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

Senior Electrical Engineer reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2023

Pros

continuous learning

Cons

low scale pay which is not so good for the years of experience

A zippia user wrote a review on Dec 2021

Pros

Finding NEW devices to open up the range of features for nrw development! New technologies, new materials, allowing new concepts!

Cons

Right now, being stuck handling fine details of determining equivalents for parts which are currently unavailable (or 1year+ lead times for delivery). I can DO it, but regret the loss of higher-priority time/tasks...

A zippia user wrote a review on Apr 2020

Pros

To Install And Maintain Mostly In Building And Industrial Installation.

Cons

Repair, And Any Over Head Installation

What is a senior electrical engineer and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a Senior Electrical Engineer?

What are the pros and cons of being a Senior Electrical Engineer?

Newest jobs for Senior Electrical Engineer in Ashburn, VA

Senior Electrical Engineer career paths

Key steps to become a senior electrical engineer

Explore senior electrical engineer education requirements

Most common senior electrical engineer degrees

Start to develop specific senior electrical engineer skills

Complete relevant senior electrical engineer training and internships

Research senior electrical engineer duties and responsibilities

Get senior electrical engineer experience

Prepare your senior electrical engineer resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior Electrical Engineer Resume templates

Apply for senior electrical engineer jobs

How Did You Land Your First Senior Electrical Engineer Job

Average senior electrical engineer salary

How do senior electrical engineers rate their job?

Senior Electrical Engineer reviews

Senior Electrical Engineer FAQs

How long does it take to become a senior electrical engineer?

What is the highest qualification in electrical engineering?

Search for senior electrical engineer jobs

Senior Electrical Engineer jobs by state