Also called: Lab Electronics Technician
Designs and fixes the custom electronics that scientists need for their experiments.
A physicist needs a special amplifier that doesn't exist yet. You design it, solder it, test it, and keep a lab's equipment running.
Based on electrical and electronic engineering technologists and technicians.
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 degree in electronics or military training.
Ways in: 2-year college, Military, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Electronics Technology.
Growing slowly (about 1% over 10 years).
Low risk for 10 years. AI can suggest circuits, but building and fixing one-off lab electronics by hand stays human.
Classes: Physics, Electronics CTE, Algebra II.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3023.
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.