By Zara Lim, MEng Electronic Engineering, Department of Informatics
A question I often get asked is ‘What can I do with an electronic engineering degree?’ To give a quick answer, a lot. But to answer that question in depth, it really depends on how you choose to use it to your advantage!
I chose this degree because I’ve always enjoyed learning and applying my knowledge to unseen situations, and EE was something that tied all of my academic interests together (maths, physics and design). Having now completed three years of a degree, my plan after graduation next year is to stay in academia and complete a PhD.
King’s is well known for their research output, and there is constantly a wide range of projects going on around the Department of Informatics, including work on drones, 5G networks, AI and so much more. The great thing about being part of this department is that if you are interested in pursuing a career in academia or even just contributing to see what it’s all about, there are several opportunities to get involved in numerous research fields throughout your degree. Since the whole department is made up of academics, the majority of my opportunities have been as a result of approaching lecturers to learn more about their field and generally getting involved by networking within the department. If you’re interested in paid research opportunities within the college, there is also the King’s Undergraduate Research Fellowship (KURF for short), which is open to every undergraduate from any department, and gives students the opportunity to contribute to research which is not just limited to the Department of Informatics.
If you would prefer to go into industry after graduation, electronic engineering really opens up a lot of doors and is suitable for a number of different sectors, not just engineering. For example, some of my course mates attended networking events and internships during their time at King’s and will be starting jobs in finance or software engineering at various major companies after they graduate this summer. Being from an EE background is appealing to a lot of companies since it shows that you have a strong background in maths and programming and are able to tackle problems with a creative mindset.
At King’s, if you’re unsure of what career you want to follow, there are multiple support systems to help you decide what’s best for you. Notably, the Careers and Employability team has multiple services that are dedicated to help students look for jobs or internships, proofread CVs and provide personalised practice interviews. In addition, King’s also holds regular networking events throughout the year, which give students the opportunity to meet representatives from various companies and find out more about the different types of opportunities available beyond your degree.
Whether you choose to stay in academia, or choose to work in the city after you graduate, that decision is all really down to you, but King’s will always strive to give as much support to help you along the way.
Again, if you have any comments/questions about anything I discussed in any of my blog posts or anything else related to King’s, I’m always happy to reply to any messages here on Unibuddy.
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