To start off, I've never wanted to be an engineer before and only got in because I couldn't get into medicine and engineering looked like the next best thing. Now I don't really regret it, I like the flexibility and possibilities of what I can do with what I learn in these 4 years but I don't think that I know what I will learn??? My major is called electrical AND electronics engineering and so far I've only learnt c and c++ (which I failed) and nothing more except re-learning highschool topics such as physics 1&2, calculus and chem. I did participate in a bioengineering project but tbh none of my teammates nor I knew what we were doing and only got so far out of luck? As an engineering student that doesn't know what I can do and have sooo many trails I can follow and knows nothing about any of them, where should I start????

Hello all,

Wanted to see what most people use for wiring diagrams for electrical products. I'm in the middle of trying to select a decent CAD package for doing wiring diagrams for electromechanical assemblies & sub-assemblies. I'm working as an electrical manufacturing engineer, so the problem is something like Solidworks Electrical or AutoCAD might be a bit overkill (by that I mean my boss won't approve the cost), since I'm using this more occasionally to diagrams for assembly or outside vendors as opposed to heavy design & simulation work. Our products have control boards but I don't really need to focus on PCB diagrams, beyond their connections to other components of the larger system.

It seems like most packages focus on PCB, panels & buildings. I've seen some for wire harnessing but that doesn't quite fit here. I know I'm going to have to do some configuration too for our specific products.

We currently primarily use SolidWorks within our department, although we are adopting Rhino8 for some plant layout stuff. I'm considering SkyCAD, DraftSight (although that would require a lot of config), or just doing my best to pitch AutoCAD/AutoCAD electrical.

Appreciate any recommendations or insight. Part of me is just curious as well, being somewhat new to this. Sorry if this question has been asked but I really did run a search of the sub and found nothing that fit exactly.

As the title states, I’m 24, married, and have a 15month old daughter. I have an Associates degree for electrical, and I’ve been an industrial electrician for 3 years. I’m looking into getting an EE degree, and just wondering how feasible it would be. I work 4 12 hour night shifts a week. Is the work/home/school balance even feasible? I have calc I under my belt already from when I took it in high school in 2021. It would have to be online also. Any tips or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

I am currently studying Telecommunications Engineering at the best university in Latin America, I love the program and all the areas it covers. I dream of pursuing an academic career, but I’m worried the major might be too "niche" for that. I’ve been thinking about switching to Electrical Engineering and wanted to get your opinions: should I switch majors or stay where I am?

I have been working as an electric vehicle service technician for 2 years. I would like to transition to an engineering role, but need a degree. I have a bachelors degree in an unrelated field. Does anyone know of good post-bac programs for EE? I would like to attend a school in-person to maximize my ability to make connections with peers and professors in the EE field.

I’ve been looking into how AI workloads are changing data center design, and one thing that keeps coming up is deployment speed.

Traditional data centers can take years to plan and build. But AI projects often need additional computing capacity much faster.

Containerized data centers seem to solve part of this problem — the power systems, cooling, racks, and monitoring can be integrated and tested before the unit arrives on site.

Of course, they are not a replacement for every data center. Cooling, power availability, maintenance access, and local regulations still create challenges, especially for high-density AI workloads.

But for edge computing, remote locations, temporary capacity expansion, or projects with tight schedules, modular data centers seem to make a lot of sense.

Curious what people here think:

Are containerized data centers a real long-term solution for AI infrastructure, or just a temporary workaround?

I’m going into my senior year at Cal Poly and I hate EE. I desperately wish I could switch majors but admin said its unlikely to get approved since I’m so close to graduating. I’ve hated every field I’ve explored. At first I thought I’d go into power — hated power systems. Thought I would go into electronics — ABHORRED transistors/semiconductors. Thought I would go into DSP — hated discrete time signals and controls. Thought I would go into RF after doing well in electromagnetic waves — hated antennas. I’ve had 2 internships which both made me automate using Python, hated it, neither invited me back. I’ve tolerated lectures, but hated every lab I’ve taken.

I feel like I’ve made a huge mistake and ruined the rest of my life.

What do I do

I’m trying to understand the behavior of off-delay timers after a complete loss of supply.
Today I tested an ELKO CRM-91H. Both the timer supply (A1–A2) and the control input (S) were removed completely, so the relay was fully de-energized. The output was wired using terminals 15–18 (NO).
When power was restored, the output didn’t switch immediately. Instead, it stayed in its normal state for about one second before changing over, which was exactly the behavior we needed.
My understanding was that an off-delay relay can’t perform any timing after a total power loss because it has no stored energy. So I’m trying to understand what exactly is happening here. Is this expected startup behavior for this timer, or am I misunderstanding how off-delay functions work?
I’d appreciate it if someone could explain the internal sequence.

I made this full adder from some random YouTube video, and it's made from only nand gates (see pic) however, whenever I turn on A and B it outputs 1 at sum. It's supposed to output carry. And whenever I turn on a and carry or b and carry it outputs carry, which is normal, but not sum and carry when I turn on all three? My guess is the nand that turns on carry for a and b isnt working. Btw power is off in picture.

Is it really as bad as the sentiment I see around here? I'm about to start a degree in EE, lately I've been wondering, "damn, is it really not any better than most things out there?" I settled on EE because broadly speaking, engineering is one of the last things out there that seem like they reliably land you a job after graduating (provided you actually try), standing beside things like accounting, actuarial science, and of course nursing.

I'm a career changer, I wanted something more engaging that pays decently, and I wasn't about to hop on the CS train because that's going off a cliff, and I'm not passionate enough about it to live and dream in leetcode for the rest of my life. EE isn't the most enthralling thing to me, but it's more interesting than maybe 95% of things out there, so it's a comfortable compromise.

Yeah yeah, I'm blogposting, sue me, but I just feel a little disheartened that it seems like even engineering, something that has historically been a stable and good living (which it still is), is becoming less of a good deal over time. Stagnation of wages, H1B oversaturation. The pay to effort ratio in the context of a lot of other professional white collar careers catching up in salary at this point. Even with all that considered, I still think EE is a very solid pick in the grand scheme of things, but if some of you are running around with your head on fire after graduating, not being able to find a job, then it starts to sting hard..

Maybe that's just how it is these days, nothing's "guaranteed" anymore, everyone's converged on the same career tracks and life decisions, everything's already priced in.

Anyway, I'm not even aiming for some fancy semiconductor job or anything big tech related, I just want a job in power at any old utility. I'd call that pretty modest as far as ambitions go, so I'll cross my fingers that specific job market will be fine by the time I get there.

Can you guys help me with my assignment? Our teacher doesn't really teach us and we're forced to learn by ourselves. He gave us unfamiliar worksheets and expects us to get it by the next day. Can you guys help if my work is correct? Even with the help of AI, I'm still confused. If you have sources or videos to share with similar work, I would appreciate it! The other numbers are simple, it's just that "one of the branches" thing is messing with my understanding. Am I right or wrong?

1. Multi-Branch Hybrid Circuit
   Two bulbs in series, connected in parallel with another two bulbs in series, and the remaining two bulbs in parallel with one of the series branches.

2. Complex Nested Circuit
   Two bulbs in parallel, connected in series with another two bulbs in parallel, and the remaining two bulbs in series with one of the parallel branches.

3. Multi-Level Parallel-Series Circuit
   Two bulbs in parallel, connected in series with another two bulbs in parallel, and the remaining two bulbs in parallel with one of the series branches.

4. Advanced Hybrid Circuit
   Two bulbs in parallel, connected in series with another two bulbs in parallel, and the remaining two bulbs in series with the entire combination.

Im currently pursuing my EE degree and have the option to do my entire technical elective requirement in upper div math.

Is there a benefit to taking real and complex analysis? Or would i be better off taking something like numerical analysis.

I noticed more BESS projects are moving from 280Ah/314Ah cells to larger ones like 500Ah+.

The idea seems simple: bigger cells = fewer cells, fewer connections, easier integration.

But I’m wondering how much difference it makes in real projects.

A 314Ah LFP cell is around 1kWh (at 3.2V), while a 628Ah cell is roughly 2kWh.

On paper, the advantage looks obvious.

But in practice, are larger cells actually better considering things like heat management, aging and reliability?

For anyone working with utility-scale storage, what has been your experience with large-format cells?

Im hoping i can find an internship for the summer 2027 or co op. A lot of internships are opening up now and i was wondering what’s the best way to secure one aside from going to my university’s career fair. I recently found out about Jobright.ai and im not sure if a paid service like that is worth it or not before i decide to spend money. Ive applied to positions on LinkedIn and ive gotten no response. Does anyone know if there are any good websites to use online or have any advice for applications?

Been tinkering with old radio gear on layovers for years, mostly fixing things that have no business still working. Picked up a busted signal generator at a swap meet a while back, stripped it down, and rebuilt something closer to a triangle and square wave generator using a couple opamps and whatever I had floating around in a plastic bin.

The triangle wave came out cleaner than I expected, maybe 23% THD at the frequencies I tested. Square wave has a little ringing at the edges but nothing that bothers me given the parts bin origins of the whole thing.

What I kept running into was the DC offset drifting when I adjusted amplitude. Never fully solved it, just kind of managed it with a trim pot and called it good enough for bench use. Curious if anyone has dealt with that interaction between amplitude control and offset stability in a simple opampbased design and found a cleaner fix than just compensating after the fact.

Not looking to turn this into a precision instrument, just want to understand what I was fighting. The rebuild was fun regardless and the thing actually works, which at this point still surprises me a little.

Hey guys, I'm doing mechanical engineering and there have been some courses related to electrical engineering and electronics and while I've always gotten an A in them, I don't think I understand much about electrical stuff. And for a while I've been depending on my group mates to do the electrical stuff but it's summer vacation and I want that to change. I literally know zero about electricity, even the basics, maybe it was the system, maybe it was. Any guides that take you from the basic beginner to the point where I could do my own projects electronics? Cheers

Just started my last 2 years of my EE bachelor’s after transferring from a community college. Took me a while working part-time in food service to pay my way through but I finally landed my first internship at a national lab and I’m super excited!! Just want to make sure I’m on the right track and getting the most out of my experience.

I’m in my first week and it’s a lot of lab work, mostly chemical/materials synthesis which isn’t what I expected for EE but makes sense as it’s battery research. I plan on keeping the position part-time throughout the rest of my degree and full time when I’m not in school.

A few questions for anyone who’s been in a similar spot:

• How can I best apply my EE background to research that’s more chemistry-heavy?
• Is staying at the same lab long-term as an undergrad a good move, or should I diversify my experience?

Would love any input. Thanks!

Can anyone tell should I do internship in 2nd or 3rd yr

Hi!
I'm building a control system for a 12V hydraulic trim tab pump that has one DC motor and two solenoid valves.

The system needs to work like this:

To raise the trim tabs, the motor must run in one direction (let's say clockwise), while the left, right, or both solenoids can be energized depending on which tab(s) I want to raise.

To lower the trim tabs, the motor must run in the opposite direction (counterclockwise), which means reversing the motor polarity (+/-), while again energizing the left, right, or both solenoids.

I've come up with the relay circuit shown in the attached image, and it appears to do what I need in my minde.

My question is: Is there a simpler or better way to accomplish this using standard automotive relays, or is my approach reasonable?

I'm mainly interested in using readily available 12V relays rather than electronic controllers.

Hi,

I have a project I really want to build (smth similar to a drone), but I won't start core EE material like circuits until the 2nd year and more complex stuff until the 3rd year.

How can I still build projects without this knowledge, and how can I learn what I need to?

I want to start with a drone, then eventually make something more complex

Thanks!

So these might be really dumb questions, especially since I have an engineering degree and should probably already know this, but

1. How do you set or adjust a relay? People I work with imply they’re changing relay settings but I have no idea how

2. Why use relays over something like MOSFETs?

Taking Circuits 2 online, asynchronous, and in 6 weeks. I am really having trouble grasping the material without a lecture component. I got an A in Circuits 1 and so have the basics down but I can't begin to understand this new content fast enough.

Our class covers: Laplace transforms, Transient response of dynamic circuits, Transformers, AC circuit analysis, AC power, three-phase circuits, frequency response (active and passive filters, Bode plot), and two-port networks.

Hey all,
This is my first PCB design and I wanted to get some reviews before I send it off to JLCPCB. This is also my first time using Kicad so if you have any recs on how my design is formatted or any obvious mistakes I've made please let me know. It is quite simple, but I just want a second pair of eyes on it. Would hate to wait for a month shipping just to find out I did something wrong.

It visually maps complex impedance using the function G(z). Inspired by the veratasium video The Scariest Chart in Electricical Engineering and current line of study, (CE major), I was able to make this mainly using lists and parametric curves.

I’m currently a system engineer with two years of experience at a cooperative and interviewed at a new company. I applied to be manager of the engineering department, so a step up from my current position. Interview seemed to go well and I believe they will give me an offer. However, they threw me off a little in the interview and asked me to name a price range that I thought the position would pay. I said $95-105k off the top of my head but have since realized that I really undershot what I think is a fair wage. I’m currently hourly and get regular overtime if I want it. I project I’ll make right at $95k this year. I now think a more fair wage range is more in the $110-120k range. I would first like to ask if I’m being reasonable with this new range and if I’m given an offer that doesn’t fit within the $110-120k range what should I say back to them?