Electronics Engineering Technicians

Advancement possibilities in the field of electronics are almost unlimited. Technicians usually begin work under the direct and constant supervision of an experienced technician, technologist, scientist, or engineer. As they gain experience or additional education, they are given more responsible assignments, often carrying out particular work programs under only very general supervision. From there, technicians may move into supervisory positions; those with exceptional ability can sometimes qualify for professional positions after receiving additional academic training.

The following short paragraphs describe some of the positions to which electronics technicians can advance.

Electronics technician supervisors work on more complex projects than do electronics technicians. They supervise other technicians and may also have administrative duties, such as making the employee work schedule; assigning laboratory projects to various technicians; overseeing the training progress of new employees; and keeping the workplace clean, organized, and well stocked. In general, they tend to have more direct contact with project managers and project engineers.

Engineering technologists are senior technicians or engineering assistants who work as part of a team of engineers and technicians in research and development of new products. Additional education, resulting in a bachelor of science degree in engineering, is required for this position.

Production test supervisors make detailed analyses of production assembly lines in order to determine where production tests should be placed along the line and the nature and goal of the tests. They may be responsible for designing the equipment setup used in production testing.

Quality control supervisors determine the scope of a product sampling and the kinds of tests to be run on production units. They translate specifications into testing procedures.

Workers who want to advance to engineering positions can become electrical engineers or electronics engineers through additional education. A bachelor of science degree in engineering is required.