Hi everyone,
I graduated with a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering in 2024 (Canada) and currently work as an Environmental Test Engineer at a lab.
My role involves:
-Running environmental tests (HALT, temp/humidity, vibration, etc.)
-Working with environmental chambers and test setups
-Interacting with clients and managing test projects
-Writing reports based on standards (IEC, ISO, MIL, etc.)
While I’m gaining solid hands-on experience and client exposure, I’m starting to feel like this role sits at the very end of the product lifecycle, and I’m worried about long-term growth and exit opportunities.
A few concerns:
-I don’t have strong electrical design experience (only basic exposure from school/design teams)
-I’m only surface-level familiar with tools like Altium
-My internships were in software/cloud, but I don’t have a formal CS background and find that path a bit overwhelming to fully commit to
I’m trying to figure out a direction where:
-My current experience is still valuable
-I can grow into something more technical/impactful
-Job opportunities are reasonably strong/well paid in Canada
Some areas I’ve loosely considered:
-Embedded systems / firmware
-Hardware design (but I’d need to upskill a lot)
-Systems / integration engineering
-Reliability / validation engineering (closer to what I do now)
-Controls engineering (also very interested here)
-Possibly transitioning back into software (unsure how realistic)
-Literally another possible field which might feel more rewarding?
I’m also considering doing some certifications/courses to guide my pivot, such as:
-Google AI Professional Certificate
-CCNA (Cisco Certified Network Associate)
So I had a few additional questions:
-Are certifications like these actually worth it for someone in my position, or should I focus elsewhere?
-Would AI or telecom/networking realistically complement my background, or would that be a harder pivot?
-For controls/embedded/design paths, what kind of projects or skills should I prioritize to break in? How do I hold myself accountable to a certain project/job posting?
For those who’ve been in similar roles or early in their EE careers:
-What paths would you recommend pivoting into?
-Which ones best leverage environmental testing experience?
-How hard is it to break into design or embedded from here?
Would really appreciate any advice or real experiences — feeling a bit stuck and want to be intentional and plan out my next move.
Thanks in advance!