How To Become An Engineering Technician Internship: What It Is and Career Path

What is an engineering technician internship and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Joseph Reichenberger PE [CA AZ HI NM NV], BCEE, F.ASCE,

Robert Taylor

Engineering technician interns are undergraduates or fresh graduates who work under an engineering technician to test equipment. They analyze plans for construction and design, write up daily lab reports, and carry out any other necessary tasks assigned by the supervising engineer. Engineering technician interns earn a median sum of $38,000 annually or $18 per hour.

Engineering technician interns assist in drawing up blueprints and plans for products and equipment while designing planned product prototypes. They maintain records and files of all completed engineering work and inspect product design for problems or errors.

They may also run tests on products and equipment directed by the engineering technician to ensure they function correctly. Engineering technician interns mostly hold a bachelor's degree in mechanical, civil, electrical engineering, or other relevant fields. This internship position serves as a training period for most of them, and they typically use it to gain experience and hands-on skills in their fields.

What general advice would you give to an engineering technician internship?

Joseph Reichenberger PE [CA AZ HI NM NV], BCEE, F.ASCE

Professor of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science, Website

I can only speak to a civil engineering graduate. Investigate all employment opportunities that are looking for entry-level civil engineers, even if it is not your "preferred subdiscipline." Work through the university career center; subscribe to blogs and organization newsletters (Linked-in etc. too) that contain industry news and job notices. Before you apply, research the company on the web. What new projects have they picked up? Or "I noticed you do a lot of xxx type projects. I'd really like to work on this type, and have focused my education toward those types of projects." Make sure this is in your cover letter and focus the resume toward that. This means that each resume and cover letter you send out has to be customized.

If you get to an interview, do more research so you can speak intelligently about the company or organization you are interviewing with. Be attentive; look the interviewer in the eyes and be confident. If you get the job and it's close to what you were looking for, accept it and try it out. The important thing for an entry-level engineer is to get experience. I believe it is important to not try to find the "perfect job" because that may leave you in the cold.

I had a mechanical engineering graduate come to me as part of an honor society faculty interview a number of years ago. After chatting a while, I asked the student what he wanted to do when he graduated. He told me he wanted to design roller coasters. I told him I think that's great, but there are probably only about 3 or 4 jobs like that in the U.S. Don't be that particular. Then I went on to tell him that when I got out of school I worked for the County of Los Angeles designing drains and channels and there was a colleague with about the same experience I had and he told me he was leaving and taking a job near Lake Tahoe. I told him sounds like a great location; what are you going to do? He told me he was going to a firm that designs ski lifts, something he was fascinated with. The advice here is to never lose sight of your goal, but there may be a few "stops" along the way.

ScoreEngineering Technician InternshipUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,935

Avg. Salary $59,228

Diversity

6.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.68%

Asian 11.42%

Black or African American 8.94%

Hispanic or Latino 15.69%

Unknown 4.83%

White 58.44%

Gender

female 23.51%

male 76.49%

Age - 46

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 - 46

Stress level

5.6

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.1

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.7

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become an engineering technician internship

Explore engineering technician internship education requirements

Most common engineering technician internship degrees

Bachelor's

74.8 %

Associate

14.1 %

Master's

5.9 %

Start to develop specific engineering technician internship skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	11.58%
C++	8.31%
Java	6.40%
CAD	5.07%
Windows	4.72%

Research engineering technician internship duties and responsibilities

Manage and expand the existing virtual platform base on VMware.
Create methods and tools to effectively manage and troubleshoot complex IP networks.
Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
Develop and head implementation of rapid prototyping method that verify design and secure customer feedback more quickly.

Prepare your engineering technician internship resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your engineering technician internship 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 engineering technician internship resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable engineering technician internship resume templates

Build a professional engineering technician internship 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 engineering technician internship resume.