Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians

OverviewSalaryAboutEducationWhere are the jobsEmploymentGenderRace/Origin

Overview

Operate, test, maintain, or adjust unmanned, automated, servomechanical, or electromechanical equipment. May operate unmanned submarines, aircraft, or other equipment to observe or record visual information at sites such as oil rigs, crop fields, buildings, or for similar infrastructure, deep ocean exploration, or hazardous waste removal. May assist engineers in testing and designing robotics equipment.

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Titles for this career often contain these words

SOURCES:

2018 SOC codes

2020 CareerOneStop

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Responsibilities and activities

Electro-mechanical technicians typically do the following:

Read blueprints, schematics, and diagrams to determine the method and sequence of assembly of a part, machine, or piece of equipment
Verify dimensions of parts, using precision measuring instruments, to ensure that specifications are met
Operate metalworking machines to make housings, fittings, and fixtures
Inspect parts for surface defects
Repair and calibrate hydraulic and pneumatic assemblies
Test the performance of electro-mechanical assemblies, using test instruments
Install electronic parts and hardware, using soldering equipment and hand tools
Operate, test, or maintain robotic equipment
Analyze and record test results, and prepare written documentation

Electro-mechanical technicians test and operate machines in factories and other worksites. They also analyze and record test results, and prepare written documentation to describe the tests they performed and what the test results were.

Electro-mechanical technicians install, maintain, and repair automated machinery and computer-controlled mechanical systems in industrial settings. This kind of work requires knowledge and training in the application of photonics, the science of light. The technological aspects of the work have to do with the generation, control, and detection of the light waves so that the automated processes can proceed as designed by the engineers.

Electro-mechanical technicians also test, operate, or maintain robotic equipment at worksites. This equipment may include unmanned submarines, aircraft, or similar types of equipment for uses that include oil drilling, deep-ocean exploration, or hazardous-waste removal. These technicians also work on energy projects involving solar power and wind.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Salary

Median salary: $59,800 annually

Half of those employed in this career earn between $46,640 and $76,270.

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Context: Median Salary

How do salaries for this career compare to other jobs' salaries?

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

Fewer details

Salary growth for 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

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

About Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics 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

SOURCES:

2018-2020 CPS

2019 ACS microdata

Worker concerns

Some jobs are more stressful than others, and some are just plain dangerous. The following list gives the percentages of electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians who report hazardous or difficult situations typically occurring at least once a week.

Time Pressure (76%)
Consequence of Error (61%)
Responsible for Others' Health (61%)
Hazardous Conditions (57%)
Hazardous Equipment (56%)
Exposed to Contaminants (52%)
High Conflict Frequency (42%)
Unpleasant or Angry People (36%)

SOURCES:

25.2 O*NET

Fewer details

Personality and skills

Can you see yourself in the ranks of Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians? Here are the skills and traits that could lead to success.

Detail oriented

Electro-mechanical technicians must make and keep the precise, accurate measurements that mechanical engineers need.

Dexterity

Electro-mechanical technicians must use hand tools and soldering irons on small circuitry and electronic parts to create detailed electronic components by hand.

Interpersonal skills

Electro-mechanical technicians must take instruction and offer advice when needed. In addition, they often need to coordinate their work with that of others.

Logical-thinking skills

To carry out engineers’ designs, inspect designs for quality control, and assemble prototypes, electro-mechanical technicians must read instructions and follow a logical sequence or a specific set of rules.

Math skills

Electro-mechanical technicians use math for analysis, design, and troubleshooting in their work.

Mechanical skills

Electro-mechanical technicians apply the theory and instructions of engineers by creating or building new components for industrial machinery or equipment. They must be adept at operating machinery, including drill presses, grinders, and engine lathes.

Writing skills

Electro-mechanical technicians must write reports that cover 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.

SOURCES:

2020 Occupational Outlook Handbook

Education pathways to this career

Education attained by electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), electro-mechanical and mechatronics 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 engineering technologists and technicians as reported in responses to the American Community Survey.

Details: Education and training recommended for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

Associate’s degree programs and postsecondary certificates for electro-mechanical technicians are offered at vocational–technical schools and community colleges. Vocational–technical schools include postsecondary public institutions that serve local students and emphasize teaching the skills needed by local employers. Community colleges offer programs similar to those in technical institutes, but they may include more theory-based and liberal arts coursework.

ABET accredits associate’s and higher degree programs. Most associate’s degree programs that are accredited by ABET include at least college algebra and trigonometry, as well as basic science courses.

In community college programs, prospective electro-mechanical technicians can concentrate in fields such as the following:

Electro-mechanics/mechatronics
Industrial maintenance
Process control

Earning an associate’s degree in electronic or mechanical technology facilitates entry into bachelor’s degree programs in electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. For more information, see the profiles on electrical and electronics engineers and mechanical engineers.

Training in mechatronics provides an understanding of four key systems on which this occupation works: mechanical systems, electronic systems, control systems, and computer systems.

Details: Licensing and certification recommended for electro-mechanical and mechatronics technologists and technicians

Electro-mechanical technicians can gain certification as a way to demonstrate professional competence.

The International Society of Automation offers certification as a Certified Control Systems Technician. This requires, at a minimum, 5 years of experience on the job, or 3 years of work experience if the technician has completed 2 years of postsecondary education.

The National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies (NICET) offers certification in electrical power testing, industrial instrumentation, and other specialties.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Education level of Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Only 20% of engineering technologists and technicians have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Education attained by engineering technologists and technicians

None

High School

Some College

Associate's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Master's Degree

Professional Degree

Doctorate

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Award levels

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

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.

Automation Engineer Technology

Electrical, Electronic and Communications Engineering Technology

Electromechanical Technology

Engineering Technology

Instrumentation Technology

Mechanical Engineering Technology

Robotics Technology

Specialized Electromechanical and Instrumentation and Maintenance Technologies

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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 Engineering Technologists and Technicians per 1,000 workers (ACS)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Job density versus job count

Which states hire the most electro-mechanical and mechatronics 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 electro-mechanical and mechatronics 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 electro-mechanical and mechatronics 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 engineering technologists and technicians compared to the median salary for all people working in each state, or
Median salary: the unaltered median salaries for engineering technologists and technicians.

We hope the ratio allows perspective about how salaries may compare to the regional cost-of-living.

The darkest shading corresponds to states in which 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 Engineering Technologists and Technicians (ACS for all specialties)

SOURCES:

2019 BLS Occupational Employment

2019 BEA Regional Price Parities

Employment

8% of 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 8% part-time workers, this occupation has a lower percentage of part-time workers than 64% of careers.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

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

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Distribution: Salaries of engineering technologists and technicians by type of employer

Here are the salary distributions based on employer type.

SOURCES:

2021 Ididio: Comparing employment

2019 ACS microdata

Gender

Engineering technologists and technicians and gender

With 19% women, this occupation has a lower percentage of women than 67% of careers.

Gender of Engineering technologists and technicians

Men (81%)

Women (19%)

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

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.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Fewer details

Context: Women in the workforce

How does this career compare to other careers with regard to the percentage of women in the career.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

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 engineering technologists and technicians tops that, with the median salary for men 26% higher than the median salary for women.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

Race/Origin

Race and origin of Engineering technologists and technicians

This donut shows the distribution of race and origin among those employed as Engineering technologists and technicians.

Race/origin of engineering technologists and technicians

White (75% )

Black (9% )

Asian (8% )

Other (3% )

Multiracial (3% )

Hispanic (1% )

American Indian (1% )

Pacific Islander (0% )

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata

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.

SOURCES:

2019 ACS microdata