I went to a good university with an ok EE dept in a very bad location, and didn’t look for assistantship. But based on what I have seen, look for universities

I went to a good university with an ok EE dept in a very bad location, and didn’t look for assistantship. But based on what I have seen, look for universities / departments that are well funded for research (I don’t know how you can get that info), which often means more assistantship opportunities. Getting an RA/TA can also be competitive but since you have some work experience, it depends on how well you market your experience to fit the RA/TA role.