# Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians

> Apply electrical and electronic theory and related knowledge, usually under the direction of engineering staff, to design, build, repair, adjust, and modify electrical components, circuitry, controls, and machinery for subsequent evaluation and use by engineering staff in making engineering design decisions.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-and-electronic-engineering-technologists-and-technicians
- SOC code: 17-3023.00
- Career family: Architecture and engineering
- Median annual pay: $78,190 (10th percentile $49,510, 90th percentile $115,700)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +2.4%
- Openings a year: 8,100
- Typical entry education: Associate's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code RIC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 88 |
| Investigative (I) | 70 |
| Artistic (A) | 13 |
| Social (S) | 13 |
| Enterprising (E) | 5 |
| Conventional (C) | 67 |

## What you'd do

- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 85/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 82/100)
- Documenting/Recording Information (importance 81/100)
- Getting Information (importance 76/100)
- Working with Computers (importance 75/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 74/100)
- Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment (importance 74/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 71/100)
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events (importance 68/100)
- Thinking Creatively (importance 66/100)

## Skills

Reading Comprehension, Critical Thinking, Troubleshooting, Repairing, Active Listening, Speaking, Systems Evaluation, Monitoring, Systems Analysis, Writing

## Knowledge

Engineering and Technology, Computers and Electronics, Design, English Language, Mechanical, Mathematics, Production and Processing, Telecommunications, Customer and Personal Service, Physics

## Also called

Applied Technologist, Certified Control Systems Technician (CCST), Communication Technician (Communication Tech), Communications Technologist, Control Systems Technician (Control Systems Tech), Controls Specialist, Controls Technician (Controls Tech), Demand Technologist, Design Technologist, Development Technologist

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1506) (CIP 1506, 576 colleges)
- [Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1503) (CIP 1503, 553 colleges)
- [Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1504) (CIP 1504, 512 colleges)
- [Engineering Technologies/Technicians, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1500) (CIP 1500, 288 colleges)
- [Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/1512) (CIP 1512, 229 colleges)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute RPI](https://www.collegesref.com/college/rensselaer-polytechnic-institute-rpi-2221) | Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $90,346 | $125,531 | $22,125 |
| [University of Houston-Downtown](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-houston-downtown-2922) | Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $79,102 | $112,244 | not reported |
| [Oregon Institute of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/oregon-institute-of-technology-2034) | Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $77,100 | $112,169 | $27,000 |
| [Brigham Young University-Idaho](https://www.collegesref.com/college/brigham-young-university-idaho-304) | Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | $73,259 | $103,769 | $12,943 |
| [Oklahoma State University Institute of Technology](https://www.collegesref.com/college/oklahoma-state-university-institute-of-technology-2018) | Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians | $85,065 | $102,357 | not reported |
| [Metropolitan State University of Denver](https://www.collegesref.com/college/metropolitan-state-university-of-denver-1667) | Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $84,200 | $100,358 | not reported |
| [Texas A & M University-College Station](https://www.collegesref.com/college/texas-a-m-university-college-station-2694) | Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians | $78,810 | $99,943 | $20,000 |
| [SUNY Buffalo State](https://www.collegesref.com/college/suny-buffalo-state-2641) | Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians | not reported | $98,018 | not reported |

## Related careers

- [Calibration Technologists and Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/calibration-technologists-and-technicians): $67,820 median pay
- [Electronics Engineers, Except Computer](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electronics-engineers-except-computer): $130,220 median pay
- [Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/mechanical-engineering-technologists-and-technicians): $74,510 median pay
- [Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-and-electronics-repairers-commercial-and-industrial-equipment): $74,090 median pay
- [Robotics Technicians](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/robotics-technicians): $73,900 median pay
- [Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/electrical-and-electronics-installers-and-repairers-transportation-equipment): $84,890 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.