Role

Electrical Design Engineer

Creates electrical schematics and layouts and supports prototyping and production changes.

12 chaptersAbout 3 months15–30 min a day11 skills2 projects
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Chapter 1 is free. No card needed.

Day 1 on the Electrical Design Engineer path.

What a Electrical Design Engineer does

Designs electrical circuits and wiring for products and equipment so they work safely, meet requirements, and can be built and serviced.

  • Design electrical schematics, wiring diagrams, and cable harness plans
  • Select components and create bills of materials for purchasing and builds
  • Lay out PCBs or review PCB layouts for signal, power, and safety needs
  • Analyze power, grounding, and protection to reduce failures and hazards
  • Build and test prototypes, then debug issues using lab instruments
  • Write clear documentation for assembly, test, and service teams
  • Coordinate design changes with mechanical, firmware, and manufacturing teams
  • Support compliance testing and fix issues found during certification

A day in the life

  1. Review requirements, risks, and open issues, then plan design tasks
  2. Create or update schematics and run quick checks on power and signals
  3. Meet with cross-functional teams to resolve fit, cost, and schedule tradeoffs
  4. Test a prototype, capture results, and troubleshoot failures in the lab
  5. Release a change package and answer build questions from production

Tools you will use

ECAD: Altium Designer, KiCad, OrCADSimulation: SPICE, LTspiceTest equipment: oscilloscope, multimeter, logic analyzerVersion control: GitDocumentation: Excel, Google SheetsStandards: IEC, UL

Your plan

Chapter by chapter.

1~1 wk

See what electrical design engineer work involves

StartFree
2~1 wk

Circuit Design Craft

Skills
31–2 wks

Check a power single-line diagram for sizing and code gaps

Proof
4~1 wk

Meet people who do electrical design engineer work

People
5~1 wk

Design to Manufacturing

Skills
6~1 wk

Workflow and Adaptability

Skills
7~1 wk

Problem Solving

Skills
8~1 wk

Working with People

Skills
91–2 wks

Make sensor PCB: design, order, assemble, and bring up

Proof
10~1 wk

Practise role interviews

Interview
11~1 wk

Choose a route into electrical design engineer work

Decide
12on your timeline

Apply for roles

Apply

By the last chapter

This is what you can show.

Things you've made

Single-line diagram review memo and Sensor PCB: design, order, assemble, and bring up

Skills you can prove

11 skills, each rated on work you actually did.

People you've talked to

3 people who do the job, with a message ready for each.

Questions you can answer

20 interview questions and a mock interview, with feedback.

Credentials

10 credentials compared, so you can pick one, or decide you don't need one. None is required.

Ways in

There is more than one route.

Ways to study

  • Bachelors degree in electrical engineering or electronics engineering
  • Diploma or higher national certificate in electrical or electronics engineering
  • Mechatronics or embedded systems program with strong electronics modules
  • Industry training in PCB design and electronics testing with a portfolio

How people get their first job

  • Apply for electrical engineering internships focused on schematics and testing
  • Start as an electronics technician and move into design support tasks
  • Build a small portfolio of schematics, PCB layouts, and test reports
  • Earn an entry-level PCB design or electronics lab skills certificate
  • Join a student engineering team and own a subsystem electrical design

Life skills on this path: Networking · Job interviews · Job search

How the work is changing

What AI is doing to this role

How AI is changing this role · one of 6 tasks we track

Size cables, breakers and protection settings

Sped up a lot

What AI does

ETAP and SKM run load flow and fault studies fast.

Still yours

You pick the inputs and defend the settings you signed.

Reviewed September 2026

In the app · Premium

The rest is in the app

  • How AI affects the other 5 tasks
  • Whether this job is growing or shrinking
  • How hard the first job is to get
  • Similar roles that are easier to get into
  • Updated every month, with sources
See it in the app →

How we rate a job →

Already working

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Questions

Questions about this path

How long does it take to become a electrical design engineer with Welica?

The path is 12 chapters, 3 months at 15 to 30 minutes a day. You can go faster or slower; the plan moves with you.

Do I need a degree?

Not always. Common routes are bachelors degree in electrical engineering or electronics engineering, diploma or higher national certificate in electrical or electronics engineering, mechatronics or embedded systems program with strong electronics modules, or industry training in PCB design and electronics testing with a portfolio.

What is free?

Chapter 1, See what electrical design engineer work involves, is free for good. Premium unlocks the rest of the path.

Start the Electrical Design Engineer path.

Chapter 1 free. About 15 to 30 minutes a day.

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