Piedmont Technical College

College Resources

Career Tracks: Industrial Electronics Technology

Industrial Electronics Technology is a broad program designed to prepare graduates for employment in manufacturing, merchandising, testing, installing, monitoring, modifying and repairing electrical and electronic equipment systems.

Industrial Electronics Technology offers both classroom and hands-on experiences. Practical training provides experience the graduate needs for a successful career. All plants/industries must be maintained, so this is a fairly secure occupation. An Electrical Maintenance Technician Certificate is also available.

Duties

Graduates in this field may be required to:

  • build, test, troubleshoot, repair and modify electronic equipment, i.e. electronic timers, photo-electric devices, audio and video units, micro-processor systems

  • analyze and determine the quality and/or performance of electronic circuits

  • pinpoint malfunctioning components

  • make changes in parts of circuits to improve performance of equipment
     

Working Conditions

Graduates in this field commonly experience:

  • inside (usually production areas)

  • dirty environment

  • work in cooperation with others

  • work under direct supervision

  • work under stress to meet deadlines

  • considerable paperwork required

  • overtime sometimes necessary
     

Physical Demands

  • active (much walking, carrying, standing)

  • lifting to 50 lbs. (OSHA standards require heavy loads for lifting mechanically)
     

Characteristics & Temperament

Graduates in this field should have:

  • good written and oral communication

  • ability to work well with numbers, symbols

  • ability to work with people

  • ability to work with inanimate objects - setting up, operating, maintaining

  • preciseness/attention to detail

  • ability to "catch on" quickly

  • ability to perform arithmetic functions quickly and accurately

  • spatial aptitude: understand two-dimensional objects, recognize relationships resulting from the movement of objects

  • good motor coordination: hand/eye coordination, accurate and swift movement, finger/manual dexterity

  • ability to follow directions - both written and oral

  • self-discipline

  • ability to change form one task to another of a different nature without loss of efficiency

  • ability to make generalizations, judgments, decisions
     

Employment Outlook

Graduates in this field can expect the following developments:

  • very good to excellent job opportunities

  • salary average: $39,270 for 2009-2011 graduates 

  • salary range: $33,000-57,000 per year for 2009-2011 graduates

  • 94% placement rate for 2009-2011 graduates

  • employment of cities and towns of all sizes

  • entry level jobs: electronics technician, maintenance technician, electrician, electrical helper, control technician, crib technician, quality assurance

  • opportunity for advancement to supervisory, managerial or instructional positions with experience or further education (B.A. degree in electrical engineering)
     

Employers

Recent graduates have found work at: