What home in North America has no electronic equipment? In most families, a normal part of everyday life is entertainment provided through electronic means. The result is that persons who enjoy hands-on work with electronics can pursue a challenging career in servicing and repairing equipment used in the home. This career area has broadened in recent years in response to the growing popularity of various types of home entertainment based on electronic equipment.
An American or Canadian family may own any number of electronic devices used primarily for entertainment purposes. The great majority of homes have at least one television set, for example, and many have two or more. Videocassette players, also called videocassette recorders (VCRs), have become commonplace. In homes with children, electronic video games are hardly more unusual than baseballs or dolls. Radios, audio cassette players, compact disc players, and other types of musical equipment enrich the lives of people of all ages.
With these and other items becoming an increasingly integral part of everyday home life, the need to service and repair electronic equipment of this type is an expanding one. After all, even the best equipment is not indestructible. Parts become dirty or wear out. Units become damaged through household accidents or improper care, and routine maintenance must be performed. Yet because of the complex nature of most electronic components, only a specially trained technician can perform the required work. When this need is combined with the large volume of electronic equipment used for home entertainment, the result is a career area with significant potential.
Work Performed
Men and women who work as electronic home equipment repairers also may be known as service technicians or electronic technicians. They service equipment that is still functioning properly, diagnose problems, and make repairs. Some technicians work with a variety of equipment types, while others specialize in just one item, such as television sets. Work performed on other electronic items not actually used for entertainment also may fit into this area. For example, service technicians may work with microwave ovens, various kitchen appliances, burglar alarms, and multifaceted home security systems.
In carrying out their work, these technicians may perform tasks such as:
- reading service manuals or wiring diagrams
- running a multipart checks of the various components of an electronic device or system
- identifying defective parts
- replacing worn or broken parts
- operating testing equipment such as oscilloscopes or voltage meters
- making adjustments in electronic controls
- cutting or connecting wires
- joining metal components together with a soldering gun
- removing or installing solid-state electronic components
- operating a variety of tools and equipment ranging from pliers and screwdrivers to signal generators and frequency counters
- lifting or transporting equipment
- driving a car, truck, or van to make service calls
- talking with customers to determine problems or explain repairs
- writing reports about servicing or repairs
- calculating bills for parts and service
Men and women who work in this field must be able to concentrate on the task at hand and to work methodically and carefully. They must evaluate problems with equipment and then determine the appropriate course of action. In many instances, they also need to communicate effectively with customers.
In many ways, the work performed by service technicians is similar to that of technicians employed in industry. Per-sons who have been trained for work in industry, or who have been employed in the commercial sector, may find it relatively easy to branch off into this career area if they so choose. The same is true of those who have been trained in electronics in the military
Places of Employment
Men and women who repair home electronic equipment are employed throughout North America. Many jobs can be found in metropolitan areas, where the population is large. Others can be found in smaller cities and towns where retail stores selling electronic equipment are located, or where there is sufficient population to support a service or repair business.
Employers in this field include:
- large department stores that maintain their own service departments
- stores specializing in musical equipment, home appliances, or a range of electronic equipment
- businesses that do not sell equipment but specialize in repairs and service
- self-operated businesses
The latter represents a promising alternative for those persons who prefer to operate their own businesses rather than work for another employer. Some service technicians work out of their homes, where they maintain a shop located in a basement, garage, or workroom dedicated to this purpose. Others operate out of a shop or store they build, buy, or lease. They may serve as the only technician or may hire others who work under their supervision. In this case, their duties may include supervising employees, completing business reports, and other managerial functions.
Working Environment
Service technicians and related workers usually perform their jobs in comfortable working environments. This might consist of a shop setting to which customers bring their equipment for repairs and service, or, in some cases, it might mean going into people's homes to provide on-site work. In either case, technicians in this field avoid the discomfort faced by some workers of having a job outdoors or in a noisy, assembly-line setting.
A typical shop setting will include good lighting, air conditioning or heating, and workbenches or counters designed for easy access. In some cases, the environment is quite informal, and technicians may be allowed to listen to radios or tape players while working. Informal, comfortable clothes are also the norm, although some companies may ask workers to wear smocks or some type of standardized clothing. For self-employed technicians, all of these factors are determined according to the worker's own preferences.
For technicians who go to customers' homes to make service calls, working environments will vary. Some people enjoy this kind of variety in work settings. One job might take them to an apartment building, another to a huge mansion, and another to a house in the suburbs. At the same time, they come in contact with many different people of all ages and backgrounds. For people who become bored easily working in the same setting, this can be a real plus. Even the time spent driving to and from job sites can provide a change of pace. Of course, for those who prefer a highly structured setting, these same factors can become liabilities rather than assets.
Technicians sometimes may need to move or carry heavy items, such as television sets or microwave ovens, so they must guard against injuries caused from lifting or dropping equipment or from falling while moving larger items. They also need to observe careful safety procedures to avoid electrical shock or burns. In general, however, this is not a particularly hazardous career area.
The Right Skills and Aptitudes
Persons who hope to work in home entertainment equipment repair should have the same basic aptitudes as those who plan to work in industry. These include:
- problem-solving abilities
- the ability to work with hand tools, electronic measurement devices, and other tools and equipment
- sufficient math skills to complete required courses and understand basic electronic theory
- patience
- good working habits
In addition, it helps to have good human relations skills. Quite often, technicians must discuss equipment problems with owners, explain the nature of repairs, estimate costs, and interact in other ways. Those who get along well with other people and communicate effectively may have a special advantage in working in this field.
Getting Trained
To prepare for a career in this field, some type of training will be necessary. Such instruction might come in the form of on-the-job training or an apprenticeship. For example, the service division of a large retail firm may hire a person, who has had little or no special training in electronics, and then provide short-term classes or assign the individual to assist experienced workers and learn repair techniques in the process. This can be a relatively informal training program or a more formal apprenticeship, although the latter is not as common in this specialty area as in the commercial and industrial area.
Many persons prepare for this field by attending a vocational school, trade school, or two-year college. Some programs, especially those in non-collegiate vocational schools, concentrate in a single area such as television repair. Others provide several options from which students can select.
For example, students who attend a Community College can acquire these in skills in three different ways:
- By taking electronics courses of their choice to gain specialized knowledge but without pursuing a formal program of study;
- By pursuing a certificate program that consists almost entirely of electronics and related courses and can be completed in a year of full-time study;
- By completing an associate degree (two-year) program that includes not only electronics courses, but also other subjects designed to enhance their background. Students can select from a Digital Systems Technology or Industrial Electronics Technology degree program.
Many courses in the associate degree programs are transferrable to four-year colleges and universities, although their primary purpose is job preparation rather than transferability. Students completing this program have gone on to attend Bowling Green State University, the University of Dayton, the University of Toledo, and a number of others. While persons planning to work as service technicians may not pursue additional education, the fact that courses may be transferred is valuable if future plans change.
At Edison, as at many other two-year colleges, the programs are designed to meet a wide range of employment objectives in the electrical/electronics field. Many such programs are categorized in areas such as electronics, electrical/electronics technology, or electronics technology, rather than by specific job area. This means that you may not find a program offered specifically for those who plan to work as service technicians, but you instead will take the knowledge learned in a broad-based electronics program and apply it to your field. It also means you will be studying with people who plan to work in industry and in various specialized areas of electronics and, in some cases, with workers who are already employed but updating or expanding their skills. The result can be a positive environment to share information and learn as much as possible about the subjects being covered, especially in a lab setting where you may work in tandem with other students.
For those who want to earn an associate degree, two typical sequences of studies are as follows:
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Digital Systems Technology
First Semester
Electronic Circuits
Basic DC Circuits
Digital Electronics
Advanced DC Circuits
Electronic Assembly
Electronic Devices
Printed Circuit
Board Layout
Composition I
College Algebra
Technical Writing
Introduction to Spreadsheets
Algebra
Linear Integrated Circuits
Microprocessor Systems I
Second Semester
Microprocessor Systems II
AC Circuits
Fundamentals of Economics
C Language Fundamentals of Communication
Fourth Semester
Embedded Controllers RISC & Fuzzy Logic Topics
Programmable Controllers I Data Acquisition & Signal
Processing Microcomputer Hardware Introduction to Ethics
Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Industrial Electronics Technology
First Semester Basic DC
Circuits Advanced DC
Circuits Electronic Devices
Composition I Technical
Writing Introduction to
Spreadsheets Algebra 4
Second Semester AC Circuits
Electronic Circuits Digital
Electronics Electronic
Assembly Printed Circuit
Board Layout College
Algebra
Third Semester
Linear Integrated Circuits
Microprocessor Systems I Electrical Machinery &
Control Microprocessor Systems II
C Language Fundamentals of
Communication
Fourth Semester Industrial Control
Electronics I Industrial Control
Electronics II
Programmable Controllers I
Programmable Controllers II
Fundamentals of Economics
Introduction to Ethics
For most jobs in repairing home equipment, the background provided through a one-year certificate program will provide all the basic skills necessary to find a job and to perform well on the job. The extra courses covered under an associate degree program, although not usually required for service technicians, could nevertheless prove helpful from both an educational standpoint and for potential use in the future. In either case, a completed degree or certificate should give you a competitive edge over persons who have not had such training.
Several of these electronics courses would have special appeal to those interested in careers as service technicians, including the following.
In the Electronic Devices course (which carries 3 semester credits), students learn about semiconductor diodes, transistors, and field effect transistors (FETs). The course also covers bias stability requirements and analysis of bias circuitry; operational characteristics of FET and diode switching circuits; and component testing and evaluation.
In Digital Electronics (offered for 4 credits), students learn the fundamentals of digital electronics. The course includes number systems and codes peculiar to digital systems, design and analysis of combinational logic circuitry, and other basics of digital electronics.
Other courses cover various aspects of electronics, many of which can be applied to the home equipment repair field.
Programs and courses of this type vary from one school to another, but they are widely available.
