A fully qualified electrical engineer will have a degree in the subject, either from 3 years of full time study or part time at a college or with the Open University. However, you don't need a degree to start working in the field; many people gain experience working in industry, and may study later if they want to advance their careers. It is also possible to do an advanced apprenticeship, where you learn and work at the same time.

Wherever you start, you need good maths and IT skills, as well as a grounding in the main sciences. A lot of people start working towards this career in school or college, with a qualification such as BTEC (the government are talking about downgrading this, though, so it's advisable to talk with your school careers officer for the latest information).

You can find more information on this page, and if you scroll down there are also links to other useful sites including job offers.