What is an Instrument And Controls Technician?

The instrument and controls technician maintains, installs, and troubleshoots instrumentation, control circuits, and equipment. They are responsible for performing a variety of technical duties relating to the electrical, mechanical, instrumentation, and control functions of systems. You will also serve as a liaison to manufacturers, contractors, and other internal and external parties concerning utility equipment, instruments, and related systems. In addition, you will check job sites for potential hazards, understand and adhere to all applicable safety rules, regulations, practices, or procedures. Lastly, you will organize work assignments and set priorities.

You must know concepts, materials, and terminology related to utility systems. You must be able to operate, maintain, and repair utility systems equipment particularly electrical and mechanical equipment. Also, good knowledge of safe work methods and safety regulations of the work is required. The educational requirement for the post is at least a high school diploma and years of working experience. You will earn an average of $62,920 a year.

What Does an Instrument And Controls Technician Do

There are certain skills that many instrument and controls technicians have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed color vision, communication skills and physical strength.

Learn more about what an Instrument And Controls Technician does

How To Become an Instrument And Controls Technician

If you're interested in becoming an instrument and controls technician, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 24.7% of instrument and controls technicians have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 4.0% of instrument and controls technicians have master's degrees. Even though some instrument and controls technicians have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become an Instrument And Controls Technician
Top Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs Near You

Instrument And Controls Technician Career Paths

As you move along in your career, you may start taking on more responsibilities or notice that you've taken on a leadership role. Using our career map, an instrument and controls technician can determine their career goals through the career progression. For example, they could start out with a role such as maintenance supervisor, progress to a title such as supervisor and then eventually end up with the title plant manager.

Instrument And Controls Technician

Average Salary for an Instrument And Controls Technician

Instrument And Controls Technicians in America make an average salary of $64,516 per year or $31 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $86,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $48,000 per year.
Average Instrument And Controls Technician Salary
$64,516 Yearly
$31.02 hourly
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Roles and Types of Instrument And Controls Technician

The role of an instrument and controls technician includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general instrument and controls technician responsibilities:

  • Repair, install, replace, calibrate, adjust, electronic, pneumatic components, instruments, sensors, relays, communication
  • Recognizes safety hazards and follows safety guidelines for personal protection, protection of fellow workers
  • Work in a safe, efficient manner consistent with the duties of an advanced controls

There are several types of instrument and controls technician, including:

Technician

Role:

To be a technician, you have to know your stuff. Some may refer to you as an expert in your field or maybe people will know you as skilled in an art or craft. Then again, you may just be needed to look after technical equipment.

Your workload as a technician will vary, depending on what you're trained in. You may be needed to set up a new computer system or maybe you'll need to fix an electricity problem. Either way, you'll probably only need to work 40 hours a week.

The degree of education required for this job depends on what you're specific skillset is. Some technicians only need a high school diploma, others may want to complete an associate's program or earn a certificate to help their employment opportunities. There's definitely something for everyone in the field of technicians.

  • Average Salary: $38,045
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Electronics Technician

Role:

Wherever there is electricity, you will find an electronic technician. In places where there is lighting, heating, computers, machinery, or public transport, sooner or later they show up.

Electronic technicians know everything about circuits, amplifiers, resistors, switches, and regulators. They design electronic devices and components, maintain electronic systems, and install electrical equipment.

Choosing to be an electronic technician might be the best decision of your life. Electricity is magic, there is never enough of it. The amount of electricity used in the U.S. alone today is 13 times the quantity needed in 1950, and this tendency is not about to reverse anytime soon.

The average hourly pay of an electric technician is $21.31. You can do the math. If not, you might want to look for another profession, keep browsing those job posts.

  • Average Salary: $46,660
  • Degree: Associate Degree

Test Technician

Role:

If you've got a natural aptitude in technical applications and you enjoy the first crack at testing new products, you may be well-suited for the role of a test technician. Being a test technician, generally, your primary task is to analyze systems and conduct various performance and production-related tests on equipment and instruments used in the production area of a specific business.

In this position, you may assist the technical teams with recommendations to resolve the testing problems. Evaluating the products, machinery, and equipment malfunctions will be your primary duties. Usually, you may report your findings to engineers, supervisors, product developers, and other technical professionals.

Typically, you may work full-time, but overtime and weekend work may come in some cases to test and identify the recurring problems. Being a test technician, you may work in laboratories, factories, or even offices. The educational requirements for becoming a test technician may vary by employer. However, most employers require test technicians to have an associate's degree or diploma in science or engineering, while some may require a bachelor's degree in engineering or related discipline.

To be successful, you must have a keen eye for detail, the ability to read blueprints, and familiarity to calibrate and repair various testing equipment and tools. Monitoring and performing equipment maintenance, you may earn a median annual wage of $42,000 along with health insurance benefits, retirement coverage, vacation, sick time, and longtime bonuses.

  • Average Salary: $43,171
  • Degree: Associate Degree
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States With The Most Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active instrument and controls technician jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where instrument and controls technicians earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1California1,919$75,006
2Florida1,367$50,343
3Texas1,324$62,652
4Illinois1,021$59,595
5Georgia941$60,796
6New York940$73,586
7Virginia719$59,348
8North Carolina709$59,263
9Massachusetts661$75,151
10Pennsylvania655$59,933
11Michigan649$59,725
12Indiana624$62,299
13Ohio624$63,168
14Colorado551$63,249
15Wisconsin529$54,609
16New Jersey512$75,486
17Maryland476$78,705
18Minnesota461$59,087
19Arizona435$51,733
20Missouri407$59,697
21Washington399$69,474
22Tennessee376$49,822
23Alabama348$55,504
24Connecticut344$69,292
25South Carolina342$63,055
26Iowa317$65,592
27Kentucky286$53,632
28Utah260$50,976
29Kansas213$51,365
30Oregon210$69,674
31Louisiana201$57,920
32Oklahoma180$52,881
33Arkansas161$54,947
34Nevada156$62,126
35Nebraska136$49,764
36West Virginia126$60,761
37Maine126$53,597
38New Hampshire125$61,500
39Mississippi119$61,423
40Delaware117$71,542
41New Mexico117$61,273
42Hawaii84$75,703
43Idaho81$56,407
44Alaska77$69,491
45Montana71$57,801
46Vermont64$71,013
47South Dakota58$57,230
48Rhode Island57$66,716
49North Dakota47$56,032
50Wyoming23$61,762

Instrument And Controls Technician Education

Instrument And Controls Technician Majors

Electrical Engineering
30.2 %
Electrical Engineering Technology
23.2 %
Music
8.5 %

Instrument And Controls Technician Degrees

Associate

56.8 %

Bachelors

24.7 %

High School Diploma

5.4 %

Top Colleges for Instrument And Controls Technicians

1. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,522

Enrollment

13,760

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

3. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,832

Enrollment

4,550

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

5. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-State Tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

6. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Pomona, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,353

Enrollment

24,841

8. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-State Tuition

$5,785

Enrollment

7,711

9. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

10. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-State Tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

Top Skills For an Instrument And Controls Technician

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 12.0% of instrument and controls technicians listed control systems on their resume, but soft skills such as color vision and communication skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Instrument And Controls Technician Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Instrument And Controls Technician templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Instrument And Controls Technician resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Instrument And Controls Technician Resume
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Instrument And Controls Technician diversity

Instrument And Controls Technician Gender Distribution

Male
Male
95%
Female
Female
5%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among instrument and controls technicians, 5.2% of them are women, while 94.8% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among instrument and controls technicians is White, which makes up 70.8% of all instrument and controls technicians.

  • The most common foreign language among instrument and controls technicians is Spanish at 76.9%.

Online Courses For Instrument And Controls Technician That You May Like

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Best States For an Instrument And Controls Technician

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as an instrument and controls technician. The best states for people in this position are Maryland, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Instrument and controls technicians make the most in Maryland with an average salary of $78,705. Whereas in Hawaii and New Jersey, they would average $75,703 and $75,486, respectively. While instrument and controls technicians would only make an average of $75,151 in Massachusetts, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Delaware

Total Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs: 117
Highest 10% Earn:
$98,000
Location Quotient:
1.28

$71,542

Avg. Salary

View 117 Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs In DE

2. Vermont

Total Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs: 64
Highest 10% Earn:
$95,000
Location Quotient:
1.14

$71,013

Avg. Salary

View 64 Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs In VT

3. Maryland

Total Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs: 476
Highest 10% Earn:
$108,000
Location Quotient:
1.03

$78,705

Avg. Salary

View 476 Instrument And Controls Technician Jobs In MD
Full List Of Best States For Instrument And Controls Technicians

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Top Instrument And Controls Technician Employers

Most Common Employers For Instrument And Controls Technician

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Calpine$86,319$41.5010
2NRG Energy$85,388$41.0514
3Florida Power & Light$75,172$36.1413
4American Electric Power$75,106$36.1118
5Southern California Edison$73,654$35.4110
6Covanta$72,553$34.8816
7Entergy$71,892$34.5615
8Progress Energy$70,455$33.879
9Exelon$69,229$33.2819
10Luminant$69,005$33.1810
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Updated April 6, 2023