Example Career: Electronics Engineers

Career Description

Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties. Design electronic circuits and components for use in fields such as telecommunications, aerospace guidance and propulsion control, acoustics, or instruments and controls.

What Job Titles Electronics Engineers Might Have

• Design Engineer
• Engineering Manager
• Product Engineer
• Test Engineer

What Electronics Engineers Do

• Determine project material or equipment needs.
• Prepare engineering sketches or specifications for construction, relocation, or installation of equipment, facilities, products, or systems.
• Prepare documentation containing information such as confidential descriptions or specifications of proprietary hardware or software, product development or introduction schedules, product costs, or information about product performance weaknesses.
• Evaluate project work to ensure effectiveness, technical adequacy, or compatibility in the resolution of complex electronics engineering problems.
• Analyze electronics system requirements, capacity, cost, or customer needs to determine project feasibility.
• Confer with engineers, customers, vendors, or others to discuss existing or potential electronics engineering projects or products.
• Operate computer-assisted engineering or design software or equipment to perform electronics engineering tasks.
• Prepare necessary criteria, procedures, reports, or plans for successful conduct of the project with consideration given to site preparation, facility validation, installation, quality assurance, or testing.
• Plan or develop applications or modifications for electronic properties used in components, products, or systems to improve technical performance.
• Direct or coordinate activities concerned with manufacture, construction, installation, maintenance, operation, or modification of electronic equipment, products, or systems.
• Recommend repair or design modifications of electronics components or systems, based on factors such as environment, service, cost, or system capabilities.
• Develop or perform operational, maintenance, or testing procedures for electronic products, components, equipment, or systems.
• Design electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military, or scientific applications.
• Inspect electronic equipment, instruments, products, or systems to ensure conformance to specifications, safety standards, or applicable codes or regulations.
• Provide technical support or instruction to staff or customers regarding electronics equipment standards.
• Research or develop electronics technologies for use in electric-drive vehicles.
• Prepare, review, or maintain maintenance schedules, design documentation, or operational reports or charts.
• Prepare budget or cost estimates for equipment, construction, or installation projects or control expenditures.
• Represent employer at conferences, meetings, boards, panels, committees, or working groups to present, explain, or defend findings or recommendations, negotiate compromises or agreements, or exchange information.
• Research or develop new green electronics technologies, such as lighting, optical data storage devices, or energy efficient televisions.

What Electronics Engineers Should Be Good At

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Information Ordering - The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
• Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Mathematical Reasoning - The ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
• Fluency of Ideas - The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
• Category Flexibility - The ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.

What Electronics Engineers Should Be Interested In

• Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

What Electronics Engineers Need to Learn

• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• Physics - Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
• Production and Processing - Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Mechanical - Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
• Telecommunications - Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.