How To Become An Electrical Technical Specialist: What It Is and Career Path

What is an electrical technical specialist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Fred Garber Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an electrical technical specialist. For example, did you know that they make an average of $40.06 an hour? That's $83,320 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 3% and produce 9,800 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to an electrical technical specialist?

Fred Garber Ph.D.

Professor, Electrical Engineering, Wright State University

I think the primary question, in the minds of those who are yet to graduate or are still searching, is in regard to the strength of the technical job market, especially the local job market. But you are in a position to definitively answer that question.

In you article, I would ask that you address the following:
Number of employers looking to fill and number of job offerings in the region (by engineering and computer science major) compared to last year and to the previous five years.

Any noticeable differences in job descriptions Zippia is receiving relative to work environment, benefits, starting salaries, etc.

Many of our soon-to-graduate students would be very interested in these quantitative and qualitative comparisons. Additionally, vast numbers of potential students would benefit from such information to guide their career choices.

ScoreElectrical Technical SpecialistUS Average

Salary

6.5

Avg. Salary $83,320

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.7

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.18%

Asian 14.51%

Black or African American 4.75%

Hispanic or Latino 10.96%

Unknown 4.69%

White 64.91%

Gender

female 8.82%

male 91.18%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

5.7

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.3

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.2

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an electrical technical specialist

Explore electrical technical specialist education requirements

Most common electrical technical specialist degrees

Bachelor's

55.9 %

Associate

32.4 %

Master's

5.9 %

Start to develop specific electrical technical specialist skills

Skills	Percentages
Troubleshoot	22.15%
CAD	12.61%
HMI	11.52%
Electrical Systems	10.86%
PLC	9.92%

Complete relevant electrical technical specialist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New electrical technical specialists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an electrical technical specialist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real electrical technical specialist resumes.

Research electrical technical specialist duties and responsibilities

Develop LabVIEW code to automate test procedures and to communicate with units for verification of functionality and accuracy.
Design PLC and HMI applications for Desulphurization systems with Siemens: S7 PLC, Wincc & WinCC flexible.
Program and test Allen-Bradley PLC's and human-machine interface.
Insure that all drawings are compatible with HMI and process monitoring equipment and devices and are update with current engineering standards.

Get electrical technical specialist experience

Generally, it takes 1-2 years to become an electrical technical specialist. The most common roles before becoming an electrical technical specialist include electrical designer, maintenance technician team lead and electrical engineer.

Prepare your electrical technical specialist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your electrical technical specialist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on an electrical technical specialist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable electrical technical specialist resume templates

Build a professional electrical technical specialist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your electrical technical specialist resume.