Aspiring technicians should obtain as much experience as possible during their college education, apprenticeship program, or military training. Some experience options include participating in an internship or cooperative education opportunity, volunteering, or landing a part-time or summer job, as well as taking classes in hypersonics technology that are offered by professional associations, postsecondary institutions, and for-profit, online education providers.
Successful technicians need excellent communication skills because they must convey their findings orally and in writing to other technicians, scientists, and engineers. The ability to work well with others and strong interpersonal skills are important because technicians work as a member of a team on a daily basis, and teams typically feature people of different ages, educational backgrounds, genders, and cultural backgrounds. Technicians need excellent mechanical and technical ability—as well as knowledge of computer-aided design and modeling software—in order to build, test, and troubleshoot the systems and structures that engineers design. Other important traits include the ability to follow instructions; strong time-management, organizational, and problem-solving skills; enthusiasm; attention to detail; and creativity.
- 3-D Printing Specialists
- Advanced Manufacturing Engineers
- Advanced Manufacturing Technicians
- Aeronautical and Aerospace Technicians
- Aerospace Engineers
- Aerospace Medicine Physicians
- Air Quality Engineers
- Air Traffic Controllers
- Aircraft Mechanics
- Airplane Dispatchers
- Airport Security Personnel
- Airport Service Workers
- App Services Workers
- Architects
- Armored Truck Drivers
- Astrobiologists
- Astrogeologists
- Astronauts
- Astronomers
- Astrophysicists
- Audio Recording Engineers
- Automation Engineers
- Automotive Engineering Technicians
- Automotive Engineers
- Autonomous Vehicle Safety and Test Drivers
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Avionics Engineers
- Avionics Technicians
- Biochemical Engineers
- Biologists
- Biomedical Engineers
- Biosecurity Monitors
- Bodyguards
- Broadcast Engineers
- Building Automation Systems Engineers
- Building Performance Diagnosticians
- Ceramics Engineers
- Chemical Engineers
- Chemical Technicians
- Chemists
- Chief Robotics Officer
- Civil Engineering Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Computer Network Administrators
- Computer Programmers
- Computer Systems Programmer/Analysts
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Digital Workplace Experience Engineers
- Driverless Car Engineers
- Drone Engineers
- Drone Manufacturing Workers
- Drone Pilots
- Drone Repair Technicians
- Electrical Engineering Technologists
- Electrical Engineers
- Electromechanical Engineering Technologists
- Electronics Engineering Technicians
- Electronics Engineers
- Embedded Systems Engineers
- Energy Efficiency Engineers
- Engineering Technicians
- Engineers
- Environmental Engineers
- Fleet Maintenance Technicians
- Flight Attendants
- Flight Instructors
- Fluid Power Technicians
- Forensic Engineers
- Fuel Cell Engineers
- Futurists
- Genetic Engineers
- Geographic Information Systems Specialists
- Geotechnical Engineers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Gunsmiths
- Hardware Engineers
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Hypersonics Engineers
- Industrial Engineering Technicians
- Industrial Engineers
- Information Technology Infrastructure Engineers
- Intelligence Officers
- Internet Security Specialists
- Interpreters
- Laboratory Testing Technicians
- Laser Technicians
- Manufacturing Engineering Technologists
- Manufacturing Engineers
- Manufacturing Supervisors
- Marine Engineers
- Materials Engineers
- Mechanical Engineering Technicians
- Mechanical Engineers
- Mechatronics Engineers
- Metallurgical Engineers
- Metallurgical Technicians
- Meteorologists
- Military Pilots
- Military Police
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- Military Workers, Officers
- Mining Engineers
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Nanosystems Engineers
- Non-Destructive Testing Specialists
- Nuclear Engineers
- Optical Engineers
- Packaging Engineers
- Petroleum Engineers
- Petroleum Technicians
- Physicists
- Pilots
- Plastics Engineers
- Plastics Technicians
- Public Transportation Operators
- Quality Control Engineers
- Quality Control Technicians
- Radiation Protection Technicians
- Radio Frequency Engineers
- Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialists
- Railroad Conductors
- Remote Health Care Engineers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Reservation and Ticket Agents
- Robotics Engineers
- Robotics Integrators
- Robotics Technicians
- Security Consultants
- Security Guards
- Ship's Captains
- Software Engineers
- Solar Engineers
- Space Lawyers
- Space Meteorologist
- Space Pilots
- Space Tourism Managers
- Spacecraft Test Technicians
- Stationary Engineers
- Taxi Drivers
- Toll Collectors
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Engineers
- Transportation Planners
- Truck Dispatchers
- Truck Drivers
- Wind Energy Engineers