Also called: SMT Rework Technician, Soldering Technician
Uses microscopes and fine soldering tools to fix and modify circuit boards by hand.
Under a microscope you remove a chip with 200 legs smaller than eyelashes, clean the pads, and solder a new one on with a hot-air pencil. It's like surgery for electronics, and steady hands matter.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Certificate, about 0 years after high school. High school plus IPC J-STD-001 or IPC-7711/7721 soldering certification.
Ways in: Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Technology (trade school).
Growing about average. Domestic electronics manufacturing is slowly growing.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. Automated soldering and inspection machines take more rework jobs over time; delicate microscope repairs on prototypes still need skilled hands.
Age 18+. One way to start: Apply to electronics makers; many pay for the IPC rework course after hire First: IPC-7711/7721 rework certification (about a 4–5 day course)
Classes: Electronics CTE, Art or jewelry making, Algebra, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 51-2028.
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.