How Do I Become an Electrical Reliability Engineer?

Electrical reliability engineers are individuals who help companies to maintain and improve their electrical systems and products. If you want to become an electrical reliability engineer, you should complete at least four years of post-secondary training, although additionally completing a hands-on field experience and earning an advanced degree will improve your employment opportunities. These professionals must be good at science, enjoy solving technical problems, and be able to work both independently and as part of a team of employees.

A person who desires to become an electrical reliability engineer must complete a bachelor’s degree program in electrical engineering, which typically lasts for four years. Enrolling in this type of program requires that you provide your most recent standardized test scores along with your high school diploma or the equivalent certification. You must also turn in a copy of your high school transcript and complete your university’s enrollment application.

Passing science-focused classes is necessary before you can thrive in this complex field. Your courses will teach you the physics of electrical engineering, which covers how electric charges work in devices such as sensors. You also need to study how circuits work, as an individual who seeks to become an electrical reliability engineer must understand this information to create and implement plans to maintain objects such as electrical breakers, motors, or even medical devices.

Business management principles also constitute the focus of a course in this industry. If you want to become an electrical reliability engineer, you must understand how to develop organizational plans that include schedules and quality assurance procedures to meet your company’s needs. You also have to understand how to work with employees at all levels of your business, so successfully completing a class on the various aspects of an organization — including accounting, distribution, and marketing departments — will better prepare you to contribute to the firm’s overall mission.

Completing a real-world practicum and making plans to attend graduate school additionally can make you more attractive to employers. An internship teaches you how to troubleshoot problems in electrical devices and develop written repair plans efficiently. Companies allow you to practice mastering the industry software tools required to become an electrical reliability engineer as well. Some employers require job candidates to also have earned a two-year master’s degree in this field, which will prepare you for supervisory positions and require that you complete a major thesis research project before you can graduate.