Also called: Durability Tester, Lab Test Technician
Tries to break products on purpose: dropping phones, slamming doors, and testing furniture.
Test techs run machines that open a fridge door 100,000 times, drop phones on concrete, or sit on mattresses with robots, recording when things fail.
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 engineering technology or on-the-job training.
Ways in: 2-year college, On-the-job training. Training cost: Under $15k.
Majors to look at: Engineering Technology, Mechanical Engineering Technology.
Growing about average (about 2% over 10 years).
Medium risk for 10 years. Automated rigs and simulations run more tests and AI writes reports, so fewer techs; building fixtures and unusual tests stay human.
Classes: Physics, Electronics CTE, Statistics, Shop class.
Official data: O*NET occupation 17-3029.
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.