Electrical/Electronics

 

Career and Major Information
Earnings
Related Occupations
Related Web Sites

 

Career and Major Information:

Walters State's two-year concentration in Electrical and Electronics is designed to prepare successful graduates for entry-level employment in the field of industrial technology as electrical technicians.  Electronics work has many specialties and titles may denote a particular discipline of the field such as electrical CAD designer, electrical technician, controls engineering technician, electronics test technician, bench service technician, or field service technician.  Field technicians travel to factories or other locations to repair equipment.  Bench technicians work in repair shops located in factories and service centers, fixing components that cannot be repaired on the factory floor.  In trouble-shooting problems, technicians may refer to schematics and manufacturers’ specifications that show connections and provide instructions on how to locate problems.  They may also use software programs and testing equipment to diagnose malfunctions. Among their diagnostic tools are multimeters, which measure voltage, current, and resistance; and advanced multimeters, which measure capacitance, inductance, and current gain of transistors. Repairers also use signal generators, which provide test signals, and oscilloscopes, which display signals graphically. Finally, repairers use hand tools such as pliers, screwdrivers, soldering irons, and wrenches to replace faulty parts and adjust equipment.  Repairers on a factory floor usually remove and replace defective units in production equipment, such as circuit boards, instead of fixing them.  They return them to a specialized shop for repair where bench technicians diagnose and repair circuit boards and other complex components. There, they also locate and repair circuit defects, such as poorly soldered joints, blown fuses, or malfunctioning transistors. 

Electrical and electronics engineering technicians help to design, develop, test, and manufacture electrical and electronic equipment such as communication equipment, radar, industrial and medical measuring or control devices, navigational equipment, and computers. They may work in product evaluation and testing, using measuring and diagnostic devices to adjust, test, and repair equipment.

Jobs may be found in offices, manufacturing or industrial plants, or on construction sites.

The minimum educational requirement is a high school diploma, but knowledge of electrical equipment and electronics is necessary for employment, and the more employable applicants have at least a technical certificate or an associates degree.  As a whole, employment of engineering technicians is expected to increase about as fast as the average for all occupations through 2012 with increased opportunities for those certified in more technically specific fields.

 

Earnings:

The Tennessee Career Information Delivery System website lists the salary range for a beginning-level position in this field in Tennessee as $30,635 to $33,315 annually.  With experience, the range increases to $44,990 to $61,875.  The national average is higher by about $1,000 to $4,000 per year.  Salary figures quoted are based on national figures. Local or regional salaries may be lower.

 

Related Occupations:

Computer, Automated Teller and Office Machine Repairer

Radio and Telecommunications Equipment Installer and Repairer

Industrial Machinery Installation, Repair, and Maintenance Worker

Electronic Home Entertainment Equipment Installer and Repairer

Science Technician

Drafter

Surveyor, Cartographer, Photogrammetrist, and Surveying Technician

Broadcast and Sound Engineering Technician and Radio Operator

 

Related Web Sites:

ACES International

            http://www.acesinternational.org

Consumer Electronics Association

            http://www.ce.org

International Society of Certified Electronics Technicians

            http://www.iscet.org

National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies

            http://www.nicet.org

 

Much of the above information was collected from the 2004-2005 Occupational Outlook Handbook published by the U.S. Department of Labor.  For additional information on these and many other careers, please visit the following web sites:

 

Occupational Outlook Handbook - U.S. Department of Labor

www.bls.gov/oco/

 

Tennessee Career Information Delivery System (TCIDS)

http://tcids.tbr.edu/.

 

 

For information regarding specific degree program requirements, curriculum, or faculty, please see the department website at http://www.ws.edu/teched/default.asp.