Engineers are an important part of our society, and many people don't understand exactly what it is they do. Many people still think of engineers as the man in gray that pilots a freight train, but in truth, engineers are much more than that. Specifically we'll be looking at the field of electrical engineering.

Typically this field is called electrical or electronic engineering, and it is a field dedicated to the study of three things: electricity, electromagnetism, and electronics. It is a field that might not actually include electronics, as there is a major difference between electric and electronic. Electrical involves the transmission of electricity and mechanical systems, and electronic involves circuit boards among other things.

Electrical engineering includes the following sub fields:

Instrumentation: This is an engineer that deals with measuring devices. Some of these can involve scales, flow meters, etc. Generally, when dealing with a device such as this, it is not a singular device, but rather something that is being used in a larger machine. So, an engineer would not be called out to simply repair a thermometer unless it was part of a greater purpose.

Signal Processing: Digital or analogue signals need some type of engineer to analyze them and determine whether anything is wrong with them. This includes audio signals for devices such as digital cameras or voice recognition devices.

Telecommunications: This is the type of engineer that maintains information transfer. Remember that when you use a phone or send an e-mail, the signal is going somewhere using some sort of network. It is the job of the telecommunications engineer to maintain and repair those systems. This is one of the more hazardous types of engineering as you would be dealing with tall structures and high voltage currents.

Microelectronics: In this field, engineers will develop capacitors, transistors, and just about anything else you would see in the smaller electronic devices. These are the parts that power your computer or video camera. These types of engineers must be well versed in both electricity as well as chemical reactions.

As you can see, electrical engineering is a very important field, especially in today's world. There are many different sub-fields that require the best engineers from all over the world. Whether it's telecommunication, mechanical devices, or simply your day to day electrical systems, they're all very important. You may not think them to be highly important right now, but when your power goes out you're going to be wondering whose going to fix it.

Well, now you know that electrical engineers will be working day and night to make sure that the problem is corrected and your lights are turned on as soon as possible.