💡 Why it matters: Homes, hospitals and factories all depend on reliable electricity, so engineers who can generate, move and fix power are in strong demand.
🌍 Around the world
- Nigeria: Power supply is one of Nigeria's biggest challenges, so engineers who can generate, move and fix electricity are in strong demand.
- United States: Jobs are projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, much faster than average (US Bureau of Labor Statistics), for electrical and electronics engineers.
💰 What it can pay
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Starting out
- ₦1.5M – ₦3.8M
- Mid-career
- ₦4.5M – ₦11M
- Senior
- ₦12M – ₦30M
≈ ₦375k – ₦917k a month mid-career. Indicative estimate by Incusim.
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
National Careers Service job profile: starter and experienced salary.. National Careers Service, 2026
🇺🇸 United States
Closest US category: Electrical and electronics engineers. Median pay; 10th/90th percentile wages.. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025
🇨🇦 Canada
Electrical Engineer. Hourly wages x 2,080 hours.. Job Bank Canada, 2024
Yearly pay before tax. UK, US and Canada figures come from the official sources named on each card. Nigeria has no official salary survey, so those are our indicative estimates. Real pay depends on the employer, the place, your skills and experience.
🛠️ What you actually do
- Design and maintain power lines and substations
- Test transformers and switchgear
- Find and fix faults in the grid
- Plan power supply for factories and estates
- Follow strict safety rules around high voltage
⚡ Skills you'll need
- Maths
- Problem solving
- Safety awareness
- Teamwork
- Reading technical drawings
Get ready at school
🇳🇬 Nigeria
- Polytechnic HND in Electrical/Electronic Engineering, then top up to a degree
- SIWES (a student work placement) at a power company or factory
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- Power engineer or electrical degree apprenticeship with a utility company
- Technician apprenticeship (Level 3), then study part-time
🇺🇸 United States
- Associate degree in electrical engineering technology
- Utility company internships and apprenticeship programs (for example lineworker apprenticeships on the technician side)
🇨🇦 Canada
- College diploma in engineering technology, then bridge to a degree
- Co-op programs that mix study with paid work terms
🗺️ Your path to this career
- 1Focus on Physics and Maths at school
- 2Study Electrical Engineering at university
- 3Do a work placement at a power company or factory
- 4Join a utility or consulting firm after your degree
- 5Specialise in grid, solar or industrial power
⏰ A day in the life
You head to a substation because a transformer is overheating. After checking readings and fixing a loose connection safely, you return to the office to design a power plan for a new estate.