Also called: PCB Layout Designer, Electronics Designer
Lays out the green circuit boards that hold chips and connect them inside every electronic device.
You route thousands of tiny copper traces on a board for a drone, making sure signals don't interfere and everything fits. Then you send it to a factory and wait for the first boards.
Estimate.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Associate's degree (2-year), about 2 years after high school. Associate in electronics or drafting, or bachelor's; IPC certifications.
Ways in: 2-year college, 4-year college, Certification. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Engineering Technology, Electrical Engineering.
Growing about average. Steady.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI auto-routing tools like Quilter now lay out many boards automatically, cutting demand for manual layout.
Classes: Electronics CTE, Drafting or CAD, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3012.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.