Electrical Engineering Careers for Women and People of Color
If you’ve been in a building, then you’ve seen the work of an electrical engineer. Electrical engineers are responsible for planning and executing electrical systems for buildings. Whether you’re talking about libraries, stores, or even your home, an electrical engineer ensures that your electrical system is safely and efficiently planned to fulfill its intended use.
According to Harvard Business Review, engineering is the most male-dominated field in STEM. According to the Society of Women Engineers (SWE), women only make up 13% of all engineers. This statistic doesn’t include race or cultural background, though the National Society of Engineers reports that people of color are even more underrepresented among the engineering workforce. This can make it daunting for women and people of color, particularly women of color, to follow through with the program. This guide provides resources and tips for women and people of color interested in pursuing a career in electrical engineering.
Types of Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering is a term that encompasses all electrical design and implementation. There are several specializations under this umbrella that aspiring or current professionals may want to focus on, depending on their interests. These include:
- Software/hardware engineering: Building computers and computing equipment.
- Communications: Designing and building satellites, telephone systems, and fiber-optic equipment.
- Power engineering/renewable energy: Designing high-voltage infrastructure and generation facilities.
- Electronics engineering:Designing circuitry for electronic digital devices like phones, radios, and iPads.
- Construction: Designing electrical grids for buildings.
While professionals in this field work in different industries and with different tools, they will likely encounter the same components used in electrical engineering, at one point or another.
What Career Opportunities Are There for Electrical Engineers?
As an electrical engineer, you can hold many job titles across many industries. Whether you choose to go into any of the specialized fields above will help you determine what industry you may want to enter, or what title you may want to hold. Some job titles for electrical engineers include:
- Embedded systems engineer: An embedded systems engineer works with a combination of hardware and software, designing them to work together to accomplish specific goals. An embedded systems engineer designs, assembles, and troubleshoots these systems to ensure all the individual components are working together.
- Aerospace engineer: There are two fields for aerospace engineers — aeronautics and astronautics. Aeronautics involves designing aircraft for commercial flights or military use. Astronautics involves helping design new types of spacecraft. In both fields, you can expect to work for a government agency, with all the benefits and particularities that come along with it.
- Controls engineer: Controls engineers are responsible for ensuring that production plants create the highest quality products with the most efficiency. These can include integrating embedded systems, AI, and solutions for troubleshooting these systems. You can work in all kinds of industries as a controls engineer, but you’ll be focused on product quality and production.
- Test engineer: A test engineer determines how to create the best process for testing products before launch. These engineers may also work with embedded systems, in aero or astronautics, or in a variety of other fields that involve production as a large part of their business model.
Regardless of the job title or industry you’d like to work in, all electrical engineers will become familiar with the following component(s):
Familiarizing yourself with these components and what they do can help prepare you for success as you go into your electrical engineering training.
Concerns for Women and Marginalized Groups in Electrical Engineering
There are several concerns facing women and people of color in electrical engineering. Some of these concerns are social and interpersonal, while others may be issues of bodily safety. While electrical engineering has come a long way on issues of racism, sexism, and xenophobia, it still has a long way to go before everyone feels welcome.
Biases
Biases are prejudices in favor or against one group or another. They are usually considered unfair, as they are based on stereotypes derived from racist and sexist thinking. Women and marginalized groups face countless biases, particularly in the STEM field. For example, in a study by Science.org, both genders showed a negative bias towards women's math skills.
This could impede a woman’s ability to get accepted into a STEM program like engineering, or prevent her from even applying due to unfounded beliefs. Biases can be based on race, gender, culture, and lifestyle. You may even have unconscious bias, which influences your actions and thoughts without your direct knowledge. This is why bias is such a huge obstacle to marginalized groups.
Wage Gap
Wage gaps are still a persistent problem for women and people of color, across several industries. White women, in general, still make nearly 18% less than their male counterparts overall. However, women of color are even more disadvantaged when it comes to equal pay. According to a Syndio report on wage gaps, “For every $1 white men earn, Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander women are paid 75 cents, Black women are paid 58 cents, Native American women are paid 50 cents, and Latinas are paid 49 cents,” meaning that some women of color are being paid less than half the amount their male counterparts make.
Scholarships and Grants
There are several scholarships and grants available to help women and people of color fund their careers in electrical engineering and reduce barriers to education. They can use these funds to cover educational costs, entrepreneurial costs, and other associated costs, such as licensure. Each scholarship and grant will have varying eligibility requirements, so make sure you read them before you apply, to understand what you’ll need to be successful.
Scholarships for Women
The following are just a few of the scholarships and grants available to women entering STEM, or engineering specifically:
Scholarships for People of Color
There are several scholarships and grants out there for different persons of color. Online, you can find more scholarships and financial aid based on your ethnicity, or on your university’s scholarship board. The following are scholarships and grants for people of color entering engineering or seeking higher education:
Professional Organizations
Professional organizations can be a great place to make connections, learn more about your craft, and build up a network of advocates and similar-minded people in your field. Joining a professional organization can help connect you with job opportunities, classes and workshops, and even mentors and friends. There are professional organizations for both women and people of color in electrical engineering.
Organizations for Women
Women-based organizations can connect women in STEM to mentors, networking opportunities, and other growth and advancement opportunities. These organizations are established on collegiate as well as professional levels. Be sure to check out any membership requirements they might have to apply or maintain good standing:
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE): The SWE is one of the longest-standing organizations for supporting women in engineering. Because of this, they have a wealth of resources for members, including conferences, networking opportunities, and educational content.
- IEEE — Women in Engineering (WIE): WIE is a branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers specifically designed to help meet the challenges women engineers face in the workplace. They host events and offer several publications on news for women in engineering for their members.
- Women in Science and Engineering (WISE): This is a national organization for Women in Science and Engineering with chapters all over the world. WISE focuses on empowering women in science and engineering and providing advancement opportunities through things like networking. You can check to see if your university or local college sponsors a chapter.
Organizations for Marginalized Groups
The following are organizations that are focused on the betterment and support of marginalized groups in engineering. These organizations are collegiate through professional level:
- National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE): The SWE is one of the longest-standing organizations for supporting women in engineering. Because of this, they have a wealth of resources for members, including conferences, networking opportunities, and educational content.
- SHPE (Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers): WIE is a branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers specifically designed to help meet the challenges women engineers face in the workplace. They host events and offer several publications on news for women in engineering for their members.
- Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers (SASE): This is a national organization for Women in Science and Engineering with chapters all over the world. WISE focuses on empowering women in science and engineering and providing advancement opportunities through things like networking. You can check to see if your university or local college sponsors a chapter.
These are by no means the only marginalized groups with professional associations. If you’re looking for other engineering groups related to your identity, you can look online, or reach out to local professionals of your same culture.
Additional Industry Resources
The following resources can help connect you to further opportunities designed to empower women and people of color in electrical engineering. These professional resources and groups can increase accessibility to certain groups, which is one of the biggest challenges that women and people of color face in the workplace.
- Association for Women in Science: This is an organization for women in all fields of STEM. They offer educational resources, career connections, networking, and other benefits to women in the STEM field.
- SWE Women in Engineering and Technology Conference: This is one of the largest conferences put on for women in engineering and technology. It is sponsored by the Society of Women Engineers, and provides networking opportunities, panels, and other educational events.
- National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME): This is an advocacy group for people of color in engineering. They are doing a lot of work trying to close the racial and cultural gap in STEM workplaces, as well as help marginalized groups find positions of empowerment at their workplaces.
- NSF Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering: This is an educational resource from the National Science Foundation about women, people of color, and people with disabilities in the STEM workplace. This is a great resource to have on hand to learn more about women and people of color in STEM, as well as a tool to share with others.
While there are many challenges to entering engineering as a woman or person of color, there are also many resources to help you face these challenges. These are a collection of some of the financial, professional, and educational resources available, but it is not a complete list. Check your local area for groups and unions that can support your career in STEM.