Sean,

There was a point made...depends on the size of the company.  I work several
jobs, my primary one here, a secondary one at my previous employer (they
didn't have the workload at the time to support a full time engineer), and
whatever consulting/contract stuff lands in my lap.

Electrical Engineering and/or electronic engineering (power engineering vs.
digital/analog engineering?) can vary in many ways as well.  I've been at
this job for a little over 10 years, and in those 10 years, I've done
software development (microcode/firmware), small improvements to existing
designs, and full fledge start-at-the-beginning designs mainly working with
video boards.  I've progressed from designing at SSI (individual gate level
stuff) to the world of PLD's (remember the 16L8 everyone?), and now to
complex CPLD's and FPGA's using verilog.

We just hired a new grad, and he jumped in doing.....microcode for a DSP,
using assembly (not C).  They might never see any real hardware designs.
One guy has done both and prefers software, but when it comes to debugging
the code on the hardware, he can run an analyzer just as well as anyone can.

Tech's here are tasked with making the assemblies work after they get to
production, often with the help of engineers for the real tough problems.
So prior to getting to production, we are tasked to get the hardware to work
right.  So, for some of us here, its a good mix of design and down to the
nitty gritty of working on everything from BGA's to PQ and TQ packages.
Speeds from the slow of 40MHz up to and past 100 MHz clocks (ever looked at
a 130MHz clock on a scope?). 1GHz analyzers are not uncommon.  You have to
know when to use a good old 450MHz analog scope, and when the analyzer will
suffice.  Techs often can isolate a part, get it replaced and go on.  If
they can't get it to work after that, then we get involved.  Sometimes, its
a date code problem on a particular chip.  I've seen that more often than
not.  Someone mentioned....listen to the techs.  I agree.  They might
mention its tough to probe something, so design it so it might be easier for
them to do their job, and less calls to you.

Then, at my other job.....it ranges from designing a control system to
writing the software for the PLC's, and now I am dealing with 460 volts 3
phase stuff.  The couple of techs...well, more of just assembly guys, are
totally clueless on most of the stuff.  When it doesn't work, I get a call
to look at what went wrong.

Tech work is getting more complex in the industry.  They are starting to be
required to understand more and more of how things work, so they can fix
them.  Several of our techs are going back to school, on their own time, in
order to keep up with technology.

My point of view for you.  Choose the right company to work for that allows
you to explore engineering how you see fit.  Big companies might not allow
you the latitude, and too small of places might not let you keep up on
technology because the bleeding edge is too expensive at times.  Learn
verilog or VHDL.  Understand test gear, and know how to solder and
breadboard or deadbug parts (we've had some that wouldn't know the right end
of a soldering iron till it burned them).  Do an internship at places, to
get a feel of how the real world works.  We do summer internships, mostly in
software, but some in hardware.

And who knows...after a few years, maybe being a ranger at Yellowstone is
really what you want to do...