Profession and prospects
Electrical engineering and information technology are disciplines in which the technical system is often considered as a whole and the tasks are then analyzed and solved from a comprehensive system-related perspective. The main tasks are the planning or design, realization or operation of electronic or information technology systems and devices or their assemblies and elements.
If your personal inclinations lie in the creative design of completely new technical solutions or in the investigation of new technical contexts, then your field of activity should be in research and development.
Highly qualified managers who are prepared to take on a great deal of responsibility are often found in production and operations. Customer-oriented work for a technical product solution that precisely meets the respective requirements is possible in the areas of project planning and sales.
Career opportunities in electrical engineering and information technology
The German electrical engineering and electronics industry is one of the strongest German export sectors in terms of turnover and employees and is currently ranked fourth worldwide behind China, the USA and Japan *). Companies in the German electrical engineering and electronics industry make an important contribution to the international competitiveness of key and future technologies. The industry's high level of innovation is also reflected in the amount of research expenditure, which is around 8 billion euros per year *). In electrical engineering in particular, there is a general shortage and - even with cyclical fluctuations - an increasing demand for qualified engineers. For this reason, current first-year students are promised excellent career opportunities at the end of their studies. A survey shows that electrical engineering companies in particular want to significantly increase the number of engineers they employ. And this trend is technologically and structurally based and will continue.
Career opportunities in information and communication technology
Modern information and communication technologies (ICT) are becoming increasingly important for the economy; the importance of the ICT sector for the economy as a whole has increased significantly over the last decade. In terms of gross value added, the ICT sector has now overtaken the mechanical engineering and automotive industries and is now in first place. This trend will continue in the coming years, as the ICT sector is growing significantly faster than the economy as a whole and thus remains the driving force behind the economy. *) The information and telecommunications sector (ICT) is one of the innovative industries that makes an above-average contribution to overall economic growth in Germany. As cross-sectional technologies, ITC technologies also enable and initiate many product and process innovations in other sectors, such as vehicle, machine and plant construction. The same statements apply to career opportunities as for electrical engineering. The number of engineering students has fallen sharply in recent years, which is why there is a significant increase in demand for engineers. As already mentioned for electrical engineering, there is also a major shortage in information technology and, despite economic fluctuations, an increasing demand for qualified engineers. And here too, these statements are structurally based and will be the case for a long time to come.
*) Source: Federal Ministry of Economics (BMWI)