OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin
Overview
Apply electrical and electronic theory and related knowledge, usually under the direction of engineering staff, to design, build, repair, adjust, and modify electrical components, circuitry, controls, and machinery for subsequent evaluation and use by engineering staff in making engineering design decisions.
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Titles for this career often contain these words
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Responsibilities and activities
Electrical engineering technicians typically do the following:
- Put together electrical and electronic systems and prototypes
- Build, calibrate, and repair electrical instruments or testing equipment
- Visit construction sites to observe conditions affecting design
- Identify solutions to technical design problems that arise during the construction of electrical systems
- Inspect designs for quality control, report findings, and make recommendations
- Draw diagrams and write specifications to clarify design details of experimental electronics units
Electrical engineering technicians install and maintain electrical control systems and equipment, and modify electrical prototypes, parts, and assemblies to correct problems. When testing systems, they set up equipment and evaluate the performance of developmental parts, assemblies, or systems under simulated conditions. They then analyze test information to resolve design-related problems.
Electronics engineering technicians typically do the following:
- Design basic circuitry and draft sketches to clarify details of design documentation, under engineers’ direction
- Build prototypes from rough sketches or plans
- Assemble, test, and maintain circuitry or electronic components according to engineering instructions, technical manuals, and knowledge of electronics
- Adjust and replace defective circuitry and electronic components
- Make parts, such as coils and terminal boards, by using bench lathes, drills, or other machine tools
Electronics engineering technicians identify and resolve equipment malfunctions and then work with manufacturers to get replacement parts. They also calibrate and perform preventive maintenance on equipment and systems.
These technicians often need to read blueprints, schematic drawings, and engineering instructions for assembling electronic units. They also write reports and record data on testing techniques, laboratory equipment, and specifications.
Salary
Median salary: $67,550 annually
Half of those employed in this career earn between $52,520 and $81,430.
Context: Median Salary
How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?
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Salary growth for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
Is this job likely to reward you for sticking with it through pay raises and promotions? The higher a job’s “experience quotient,” the more you are likely to get as you stay there.
Experience quotient percentile
Take a minute to look at how much you might expect your salary to increase with each five years' experience, as well as how the numbers working at each age change. Does this seem to be a job for the young or the old, or could it be a career offering steady salary growth for many years?
Salary distribution
Number employed
About Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
How do benefits for this career compare to other jobs? The availability of health care, especially employer provided health care, and pension plans can add significantly to the value of compensation you receive in a career. These charts compare how this career compares to other careers with regard to health care and pension plans.
Employee has health insurance
Employer is providing health insurance
Employer-provided pension plan is available
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Personality and skills
Can you see yourself in the ranks of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.
Logical-thinking skills
Electrical and electronics engineering technicians must isolate and then identify problems for the engineering staff to work on. They need good reasoning skills to identify and fix problems. Technicians must also follow a logical sequence or specific set of rules to carry out <a href="/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/electrical-and-electronics-engineers.htm" title="Electrical and Electronics Engineers"><u>electrical engineers’</u></a> designs, inspect designs for quality control, and put together prototypes.
Math skills
Electrical and electronics engineering technicians use math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.
Mechanical skills
Electronics engineering technicians in particular must use hand tools and soldering irons on small circuitry and electronic parts to create detailed electronic components by hand.
Observational skills
Electrical engineering technicians sometimes visit construction sites to make sure that electrical engineers’ designs are being carried out correctly. They are responsible for evaluating projects onsite and reporting problems to engineers.
Writing skills
These technicians must write reports about onsite construction, the results of testing, or problems they find when carrying out designs. Their writing must be clear and well organized so that the engineers they work with can understand the reports.
Injury and Illness
About 47 electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians become injured or ill for every 10,000 workers, making this job more dangerous than 67% of other careers. The most common specific illnesses or injuries are detailed following.
Heat (thermal) burns
All multiple traumatic injuries
Sprains, strains, tears
Education pathways to this career
Education attained by electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians typically hold a associate's degree.
Sometimes the typical education identified by the BLS differs a bit from the reality of the how much education current workers actually have. The donut shows the education level held by people currently working as electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.
Details: Education and training recommended for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
Programs for electrical and electronics engineering technicians usually lead to an associate’s degree in electrical or electronics engineering technology. Vocational–technical schools include postsecondary institutions that serve local students and emphasize training needed by local employers.
Community colleges offer programs similar to those in technical institutes but include more theory-based and liberal arts coursework. Some of these colleges allow students to concentrate in computer electronics, industrial electronics, or communications electronics.
Prospective electrical and electronics engineering technicians usually take courses in programming languages, chemistry, physics, logical processors, and circuitry. Coursework in test equipment is also helpful. The Technology Accreditation Commission of ABET accredits programs that include at least college algebra, trigonometry, and basic science courses.
Details: Licensing and certification recommended for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
Technicians may choose to earn certification to show an advanced level of knowledge. Several organizations offer certification.
The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) offers certification in electrical power testing. This certification would benefit those technicians working in the electric power generation, transmission, and distribution industry.
ETA International also offers certifications in several fields, including basic electronics, biomedical electronics, and renewable energy.
The International Society of Automation offers certification as a Control Systems Technician. To gain such certification, technicians must demonstrate skills in pneumatic, mechanical, and electronic instrumentation. In addition, they must demonstrate an understanding of process control loops and process control systems.
Education level of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians
Only 19% of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Education attained by electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
None
High School
Some College
Associate's Degree
Bachelor's Degree
Master's Degree
Professional Degree
Doctorate
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Programs recommended by the Department of Education
The Department of Education recommends the following college degree programs as preparation for this career. You can click a program row to learn more about the program and explore a list of schools that offer the program.
Program
Automation Engineer Technology
Computer Engineering Technology
Computer Systems Technology
Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Technology
Engineering Technology
Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology
Specialized Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologies
Telecommunications Technology
Where are the jobs
State-by-state employment numbers
Some careers tend to be centered in specific parts of the country. For example, most jobs in fashion are in New York or California. Let's see if your dream job is easy to find in your dream location! We have a few choices for viewing the data that can help you get a full employment picture.
Select a state to see local area details
Number of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)
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Job density versus job count
Which states hire the most electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians? We wonder if that's a fair question since states come in all sizes, so instead let's start with the question of which states have the highest density of people working as electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians. You can choose to view the number of jobs per state if you prefer.
Salaries by state
Let's get a feel for where electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians earn the highest salaries. There are several choices for which data we consider and how we view that data, and each can lead to different conclusions, so please read on...
Median salary versus state ratio
We use two methods to compare salaries across states:
- In-state comparisons: the ratio of median (middle) salaries for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
- Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians.
The darkest shading corresponds to states in which electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians earn the highest salary when compared to other jobs in the state. We think this figure might be a better indicator than the actual salary for your buying power as a state resident.
Select a state to see local area details
Location-adjusted median salary for Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians (ACS)
Employment
7% of Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians are working part time.
We’ve found that some jobs have a huge number of part-time workers, and typically that is because they are unable to find full-time work or the job itself can’t provide full-time hours. With 7% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 67% of careers.
Employer types
This donut shares the break-down of workers by employer type, giving us a picture of what employers most typically hire for this career.
Employers of undefined (ACS)
Private for-profit
Private not-for-profit
Local government
State government
Federal government
Self-employed incorporated
Self-employed not incorporated
Working without pay
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Distribution: Salaries of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians by type of employer
Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.
Gender
Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians and gender
With 10% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 80% of careers.
Gender of Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
Men (90%)
Women (10%)
Distribution: salaries by gender
Does gender greatly influence your salary in this career? The closer the bars are, the less discrepancy there is.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
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Context: Women in the workforce
How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.
Context: Salary inequity
The median (middle) salary for all full-time male workers
in the US exceeds the full-time median salary for women
by 19%, and the difference
for electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians tops that, with the median salary for
men 22% higher than the median
salary for women.
Race/Origin
Race and origin of Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians.
Race/origin of electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians
White (76% )
Black (10% )
Asian (7% )
Other (3% )
Multiracial (2% )
Hispanic (1% )
American Indian (1% )
Pacific Islander (0% )
Distribution: salaries by race/origin
Some careers might have a pay disparity based on race or origin, the closer the below bars are the less of a discrepancy is present.
We only include salary data when the survey error is less than 20%, so you may see only partial information for some categories.
