About This Career

Repairs, tests, adjusts, or installs electronic equipment, such as industrial controls, transmitters, and antennas.

This career is part of the Manufacturing cluster Maintenance, Installation and Repair pathway.

A person in this career:

• Tests faulty equipment to diagnose malfunctions, using test equipment or software, and applying knowledge of the functional operation of electronic units and systems.
• Maintains equipment logs that record performance problems, repairs, calibrations, or tests.
• Sets up and tests industrial equipment to ensure that it functions properly.
• Inspects components of industrial equipment for accurate assembly and installation or for defects, such as loose connections or frayed wires.
• Installs repaired equipment in various settings, such as industrial or military establishments.
• Operates equipment to demonstrate proper use or to analyze malfunctions.
• Enters information into computer to copy program or to draw, modify, or store schematics, applying knowledge of software package used.
• Calibrates testing instruments and installed or repaired equipment to prescribed specifications.
• Performs scheduled preventive maintenance tasks, such as checking, cleaning, or repairing equipment, to detect and prevent problems.
• Repairs or adjusts equipment, machines, or defective components, replacing worn parts, such as gaskets or seals in watertight electrical equipment.

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

People who do this job report that:

• You would often handle loads up to 20 lbs., sometimes up to 50 lbs. You might do a lot of lifting, carrying, pushing or pulling.
• Work in this occupation involves use of protective items such as safety shoes, glasses, gloves, hearing protection, a hard hat, or personal flotation devices
• Exposure to pollutants, gases, dust, fumes, odors, poor ventilation, etc.
• Work in this occupation involves using your hands to hold, control, and feel objects more than one-third of the time
• Exposed to hazardous equipment such as saws, machinery, or vehicular traffic more than once a month
• Work in this occupation requires being inside most of the time
• Sound and noise levels are loud and distracting

Working in this career involves (physical activities):

• Identifying color and seeing differences in color, including shades and brightness
• Seeing clearly at a distance
• Seeing clearly up close
• Speaking clearly enough to be able to be understood by others
• Identifying and understanding the speech of another person

Work Hours and Travel

• Rotating shift work
• Weekend work