Electrical Engineer vs Investment Banker Salary
Investment Bankers earn approximately 86.9% more than Electrical Engineers nationally — $200,000 vs $107,000.
Investment Bankers earn approximately $93,000 more per year than Electrical Engineers — about 87% — with comparable entry requirements.
Pay range, not just the median
The medians hide most of what matters. Electrical Engineer pay runs from roughly $66,000 at the low end to $152,000 at the high end; Investment Banker runs $75,000 to $400,000. The title sets the band; specialization, employer size, and location decide where inside it you actually sit.
The two bands are shaped differently. Investment Banker top earners make about 5.3× what beginners make, against 2.3× for Electrical Engineer. A wide band means the ceiling rewards specializing and the median understates what is achievable; a narrow one means pay is more predictable and less dependent on landing the right niche.
Where each field is heading
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects Electrical Engineer employment to grow 9% over the decade to 2034 — growing faster than average — against growth of 3% for Investment Banker.
Growth rate is not the same thing as opportunity. Electrical Engineer roles see roughly 22,700 openings a year and Investment Banker roles about 38,100, counting replacements for people who retire or leave. Investment Banker has the larger raw number, which is usually what you feel when actually job hunting — a small field growing fast can still be harder to break into than a large flat one.
What the work is actually like
Electrical Engineer: Offices, electronics/power labs, and manufacturing test facilities. Investment Banker: Corporate office, client and deal-team meetings; very long hours, frequent travel for live deals.
Schedules differ too: Electrical Engineer work usually means standard weekday hours, Investment Banker means irregular hours that vary week to week. People underweight this when comparing offers and then cite it when they leave.
Moving between the two
These two barely touch. Engineering and Finance draw on separate training pipelines, and employers in one rarely read experience in the other as relevant. Budget for a real reset. Electronics and computer engineers overlap heavily and move between roles easily; power-systems specialists need additional training to shift into semiconductor or RF design. Highly competitive lateral entry from Big 4 transaction advisory or equity research; base+bonus comp makes seniorPay wildly variable and understates top-decile bonus years.
If you are entering rather than switching: Electrical Engineer — Earn an ABET-accredited bachelor's in electrical engineering, complete internships/co-ops, then enter industry — PE licensure only needed for public utility or consulting work. Investment Banker — Bachelor's (often finance/econ from a target school) into a 2-year analyst program at a bank, or MBA into associate track; Series 79/63 licensing required on the job.
Pay ranges, education requirements, and employment projections come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. See our methodology for how these are compiled and updated.
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Electrical Engineer salary by state — Investment Banker salary by state — Best cities for Electrical Engineer — Best cities for Investment Banker — Paycheck Calculator — Investment Calculator.