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Electrical Engineer

Electrical Engineer profiles score highest on Operating and Exploring. This page covers what the work involves, what the trait profile looks like, what it pays, and where the fit tends to break.

Median pay
$120,630per year, U.S. BLS 2025
Entry education
Bachelor's degreetypical for the occupation
Outlook
BrightO*NET Bright Outlook occupation

SOURCE · O*NET 17-2071.00 and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Figures are national and vary widely by state and setting.

What the work involves

Research, design, develop, test, or supervise the manufacturing and installation of electrical equipment, components, or systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.

Skills rated most important

Writing78
Critical Thinking75
Reading Comprehension75
Active Learning72
Active Listening72

Work context

Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams93
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled93
Contact With Others84
Spend Time Sitting77
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled36
Spend Time Standing35
Spend Time Walking or Running30
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body22
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling19
Spend Time Climbing Ladders, Scaffolds, or Poles18
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance10

O*NET importance and frequency ratings, 0–100.

The trait profile

Where Electrical Engineer profiles sit on the eleven Haliscope traits, derived from O*NET’s published interest and work-style data.

Operating83
Exploring74
Analyzing73
Organizing57
Safety-Seeking57
Persevering53
Law-Abiding44
Harmonizing28
Influencing25
Creating20
Helping14

Who it fits, and who it doesn’t

Strong signals

  • High Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • High Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • High Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.

Friction points

  • Low Analyzing. Measures your drive to understand systems and solve problems. High scorers are knowledge-seeking, strategic thinkers who enjoy investigating and finding solutions.
  • Low Creating. Measures your inclination toward original thinking and artistic expression. High scorers generate innovative ideas and find rigid structure limiting.
  • Low Safety-Seeking. Measures your preference for stability and predictability. High scorers value security, prefer familiar environments, and carefully weigh risks before acting.

These are what the occupation’s profile says, not a hiring criterion. Haliscope is not validated for hiring or screening, and none of these is disqualifying — they are where a fit most often breaks.

Getting in

Entry education: Bachelor's degree.

Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

O*NET Job Zone descriptions, U.S. Department of Labor.

Exposure to AI

How much of this work AI can already do, and how much AI tools help the people doing it, is scored task by task in the AI Risk Index.

Will AI replace Electrical Engineer?

Is this profile yours?

Take the assessment and see your eleven scores against this occupation and every other one Haliscope scores. A preview of your results is free; the full report is $10.00.

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