Power to the people

The lowdown Electrical engineering deals with the study and application of electrical systems for use in different environments. A student has to learn about transmission and generation of electrical power, electrical circuit design, electronics, instrumentation, and control systems. In-depth knowledge of electronic devices and circuits for measurement, instrumentation, control and protection of electrical equipment and conversion systems is also required. One would also have to master the application of computer-based systems in design, analysis and efficient operation of power systems Clock Work 9am: Reach the plant. Reply to email received from vendors 9.15am: Take a round of the power plant 10am: Check the power lines 11am: Fix faults (if any) 1pm: Have lunch 2pm: Routine visit to site where a project is in progress 3pm: Supervise and monitor the state of the work 6pm: File assessment report 7pm: Leave for home The payoff An entry-level engineer earns about R20,000 to R30,000 per month. Salaries vary from organisation to organisation. At a middle-level technical position, as a project head or team leader, one gets R70,000 to R80,000 per month. At the managerial level, one can earn R1.5 lakh per month. Starting salaries are almost the same in the government and private sector, but vary vastly in top positions. Managers in the private sector can earn more than R1 lakh a month Skills/TRAITS . Strong logical and analytical skills along with the ability to absorb new knowledge . Keen attention to detail, as machines need a lot of care . Ability to adapt to the changing technological scenario of the market, e.g. by learning software development Getting there Do a BTech (electrical) or BTech (electrical-power), depending on your area of interest. You can also pursue an MTech if you want to go in for further research. After engineering, you can hunt for a job in companies like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) or Reliance Power. Reputable institutes like the IITs and the NITs have campus placements, but for other students, companies will usually organise a written test for their annual intake. Check out newspaper advertisements for announcements of the dates for the entrance exams Institutes and URLs . Indian Institutes of Technology (www.iitd.ac.in/ www.jee.iitd.ac.in/ ) . Delhi Technological University (www.dce.edu) . National Institutes of Technology (www.nitdgp.ac.in/ www.aieee.nic.in)

Pros and cons . Irrespective of market trends, electrical engineers will always be in demand . Growth opportunities are aplenty as the demand-supply gap is huge in the Indian power sector . Its a demanding job, especially when one is working on a project installation . Because of the stiff competition, not everyone gets a good job in a public sector company A huge number of electrical engineers are needed for the electric utilities for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical power with the least power losses Dr Narendra Kumar, professor and head, dept of electrical engineering, DTU