What is an electronics engineer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Angela Rasmussen

An electronics engineer designs, develops, and tests electronic equipment and systems. They work on a wide range of projects, from designing consumer electronics to developing complex systems for industrial and even military applications. Electronics engineers work with a range of tools and technologies, including circuit design software, microprocessors, and other electronic components. Electronics engineers collaborate with other engineers and professionals to ensure their designs meet performance needs.

What general advice would you give to an electronics engineer?

Dr. Angela Rasmussen

Professor (Lecturer) Director of Mentoring and Advising Director of Electrical Engineering Senior Projects, University of Utah

Take heart that while Electrical Engineering jobs have been impacted by COVID19, it's impact is minimal in comparison to most other areas. While many areas have been hit hard by layoffs, Electrical Engineering has only slightly been affected in comparison. Many companies have declared hiring freezes and many others are still hiring. Therefore, don't get discouraged. There are Electrical Engineerings jobs needing to be filled! Make sure to be professional in all your interactions and work on improving your online presence.

ScoreElectronics EngineerUS Average

Salary

7.3

Avg. Salary $93,985

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 15.78%

Black or African American 4.90%

Hispanic or Latino 11.42%

Unknown 4.72%

White 63.00%

Gender

female 8.84%

male 91.16%

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

7.2

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an electronics engineer?

Pros

High salary potential and job security
Career growth opportunities
Work can be intellectually challenging and rewarding
Possibility of travel or relocation for work opportunities
Potential for flexible work arrangements

Cons

Highly competitive job market
Can be stressful and demanding, particularly when working on tight deadlines
Work can be solitary, with minimal interaction with others outside of the engineering team
May require long hours or overtime to meet project deadlines
Can involve working in hazardous environments

Key steps to become an electronics engineer

Explore electronics engineer education requirements

Most common electronics engineer degrees

Bachelor's

68.0 %

Master's

15.9 %

Associate

11.7 %

Start to develop specific electronics engineer skills

Skills	Percentages
Analog	6.30%
RF	6.27%
Power Electronics	5.72%
DOD	4.43%
Test Equipment	4.31%

Complete relevant electronics engineer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New electronics engineers 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 electronics engineer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real electronics engineer resumes.

Research electronics engineer duties and responsibilities

Lead manufacturing testing effort for VT-1 missile program.
Manage technicians throughout design, development, construction, testing, ISO quality assurance, and field/flight/wind tunnel test support phases.
Design automated lab system for troubleshooting HVAC PC boards in AMTRAK trains, to achieve shorter fault diagnostics time lab repairs.
Manage technicians during prototyping stage.

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