Engineering Technicians

Engineering technicians help turn ideas into reality. Assisting engineers or scientists, or working on their own, they use their technical skills to come up with practical solutions to a variety of problems.

Depending on their specialty and work setting, their duties include everything from setting up and maintaining equipment in a research lab to drafting plans for new designs on a computer to inspecting an assembly line.

Engineering technicians use math, science, and engineering skills to work on a variety of projects in a wide range of fields. They have less responsibility than engineers and their work is more hands-on.

Are You Ready To...?

• Work in a lab
• Travel to plants or construction sites
• Work as part of a team
• Keep up with new technology and equipment
• Work carefully and accurately
• Handle potentially dangerous equipment or chemicals

It Helps To Be...

Someone who likes building things and solving problems. This is a great career if you like discovering how things work and how to make them work better. 

Make High School Count

• Pay attention in English. You’ll need to be able to read complex material and write about your work.
• Upgrade your computer skills by learning computer-aided drafting.
• Work with the stage crew and get experience building sets or working the light board.
• Join an engineering club or get others involved in engineering competitions, such as the one offered by JETS (Junior Engineering Technical Society).
• Get in as much math and science as you can, especially algebra, trigonometry, physics, and chemistry.