Career Options
Men and women who work in electronics hold a wide range of jobs. These include the following major categories of employment:
- repairing electronic equipment used primarily in home entertainment
- repairing and maintaining electronic equipment for commercial and industrial use
- designing, testing, and supervising the manufacture of electronic equipment
- operating, servicing, or repairing equipment in specialized areas such as broadcasting
A brief description of each area follows:
Repair of Home Entertainment Equipment
With the proliferation of electronic devices and systems used for personal entertainment or home convenience, an entire support industry of servicing and repairing such equipment has arisen and expanded.
Among the first workers of this type were radio repair persons, and after that, those who provided the same type of services for television sets. Today, technicians known as electronic home equipment repairers (or simply as service technicians or electronic technicians) work with a variety of electronic devices found in the home--for example, video-cassette recorders, stereo systems, microwave ovens, and home security systems.
These technicians service working equipment and repair malfunctioning items. Some specialize in a single type of equipment, such as videocassette players and recorders, while others work with a variety of equipment types. Their jobs involve not just the technical tasks involved, but also the human relations element of dealing directly with customers and, in some cases, going into private residences to provide on-site service.
Technicians in this area may be self-employed operators of their own small businesses, or they may work for various types of employers, including small or medium-sized companies specializing in equipment and repair services or large retail firms that sell electronic equipment and then provide the support services needed to keep it in good working order.
Repair of Commercial and Industrial Electronic Equipment
Technicians who install and repair electronic equipment for businesses and other organizations fall under the general category of commercial and industrial electronics technicians. They also may be identified as industrial electronics technicians or other similar job titles.
Men and women employed in this area work with equipment such as antennas, automated manufacturing equipment controls, radar systems, guidance controls for rockets and missiles, industrial robots, and diagnostic equipment used in hospitals and other medical facilities.
They are employed throughout the United States and Canada in a variety of industries. This includes working for large corporations, smaller companies, and other organizations ranging from health care agencies and educational institutions to government agencies and the military.
Electronics Engineering and Engineering Technology
At the opposite end of the spectrum from equipment repair is the design and manufacture of electronic systems, devices, and components. These functions are performed by engineers and engineering technologists or technicians.
Engineers, who require the highest level of education of the careers discussed here (usually at least a bachelor's degree), develop, test, and oversee the production or installation of electronic devices or systems. They may specialize in different areas such as radar systems, computer design, electronic controls used in automated manufacturing, or development of sound equipment.
Engineering technologists and technicians perform similar work, but usually under the supervision of engineers. While engineers may be heavily involved in the theory behind a given engineering problem, the technologist or technician generally provides a more hands-on role. For example, a person in this area may assemble a piece of equipment that has been designed by an engineer, and then the two may work together to test and improve it.
Positions in both areas can be found across the United States and Canada in a wide range of industries as well as in the military services.
Specialized Electronics Areas
A number of careers provide opportunities to specialize in one type of electronic equipment or within a single industry.
Broadcasting
For example, broadcast technicians work in the radio and television industries. They operate and maintain the equipment used for recording and transmitting information.
Computer Service and Repair
Another specialty area is computer service and repair. With computers playing an increasingly central role throughout most segments of society, a growing demand exists for persons who can maintain and repair them.
Computer service technicians provide this function for companies that sell computer equipment as well as for organizations large enough to hire their own staff for this purpose. These technicians service and repair not only the computers themselves, but also such related equipment as various types of printers. They also install computer systems and test them for defects.
Other Areas
Workers in several other areas also provide specialized services that include applications in electronics. Positions as communications equipment mechanics, elevator installers and repairers, home appliance and power tool repairers, office machine and cash register servicers, telephone installers, and vending machine servicers and repairers are but a few.
Job Titles
Among the job titles listed in the Dictionary of Occupational Titles in electronics are:
electromechanical assembler, electromechanical technician, electro-medical equipment repairer, electronic-communications technician, electronic-component processor, electronic-production-line maintenance mechanic, electronic sales-and-service technician, electronics assembler, electronics assembler, prototype electronics-design engineer, electronics inspector, electronics mechanic, electronics-research engineer, electronics technician, electronics-test engineer, electronics tester, electronics utility worker, electronic technician, nuclear reactor technician et al.
Background and Skills Needed
Electronics careers may hold significant promise, but it is important to keep individual abilities and interests in mind when considering the various options available. Just as in other occupations, not everyone is well-suited to an electronics career.
In considering the possibilities, take into account the following factors. Most people should possess (or be able to develop) most or all of the following traits to work effectively in electronics and to enjoy the experience.
- The ability to work with hand tools. This might vary from screwdrivers or soldering guns to voltage meters, but the ability to use tools and items such as meters and scopes--or to learn to use them--is a must for all but the most theoretical work in electronics.
- Good math skills. This is more important in engineering than in many service jobs, but any study of the theory behind electronics requires that information be expressed and understood in mathematical terms. Persons who enjoy math and are good at it have a real edge in this field. For those who feel they lack math abilities, it may be possible to improve the situation through remedial courses or other efforts.
- An aptitude for solving problems. Much work in electronics revolves around the solving of problems. A new design for an electronic component that does not work as planned, or a malfunctioning control system in a manufacturing plant's assembly line, for example, presents problems that must be solved. If you like to work jigsaw or crossword puzzles, figure out ways of fixing cars or household appliances, or even outwit video games, these may be signs of such an aptitude. Special tests available from counselors also can help determine aptitudes in this direction.
- A willingness to learn. Electronics is a complicated subject. To succeed in this area, you must be willing to learn fundamentals as well as a variety of practical applications. This usually means reading and studying textbooks and manuals as well as putting in practice time in a shop or laboratory setting. Such efforts may take place within any number of settings, ranging from vocational schools or colleges to on-the-job training programs. Whatever the type of instruction involved, the time and energy needed to master it must be something you are willing to commit.
- Patience and attention to detail. The work involved in electronics seldom can be hurried. Instead, it requires patient adherence to details that might seem trivial to the uninformed observer. But considering the delicate and precise nature of much electronic equipment, and the safety factors involved in devices that utilize electricity, patience and attention to detail are absolutely necessary.
- Certainly, your basic abilities and aptitudes are only part of the equation for a successful career in electronics. Many other factors also are involved. But if, after assessing your own potential, you feel optimistic about an electronics career, the opportunity to follow up on this ambition awaits you.
Future Prospects
A career in electronics can offer a bright future. Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Labor have found that in most career areas related to electronics, growth in new jobs is expected to occur at a faster rate than that for the average of all career areas.
Not only will jobs be available for those who are qualified, but this field represents one of the most promising areas for the future in terms of new and interesting developments. Enormous changes have occurred in recent years in the way electronic devices affect everyone's life. Even more can be expected in the future. For those who pursue careers in electronics, the potential exists to be at the cutting edge of technological development.
