Draw the circuit's schematic
Pick parts and link them in a schematic, a diagram of how the planned circuit should work.
Career profile
Electronics Engineer
Electronics engineers design circuits that let devices sense, communicate, and react.
If a sensor puts out the wrong signal, you trace it through the circuit first, then change the design and check whether the fix worked.
A day in the life
Try a change in simulation
Run a simulation, change one component's value, and see what voltage it predicts before building a prototype.
Find where the signal strays
On an oscilloscope, which plots voltage over time, check the prototype's signal against the simulation, digging into gaps.
Update notes for the technician
You revise the schematic and the test notes so a technician can build and check the changed circuit.
Quick facts
Bachelor’s degree
United States
$130,220/year
United States · May 2025
3.7% growth
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Bachelor’s degreeUsually in electrical engineering, electronics engineering, or a related engineering field.
Pay
$130,220/yearNational median, equivalent to $62.60/hour, for electronics engineers excluding computer hardware engineers.
Outlook
3.7% growthProjected employment growth for electronics engineers, except computer.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You want to find out why a device behaves differently from your prediction.
- You enjoy using math to answer a question you can test.
- You can explain your reasoning and listen when someone spots a flaw.
Things to weigh
- A fault that appears only sometimes can mean repeating measurements before you understand it.
- You also write design records and work within cost limits.
Where AI may help
Circuit simulators let you inspect predicted signals and compare changes before making hardware.
What people still lead
You decide what performance is needed and whether the evidence supports a design change.
What we can’t predict yet
How much physical testing simulation can replace depends on how well the model captures the real circuit and its surroundings.
Pay in context
Earnings
These national figures cover electronics engineers, excluding computer hardware engineers.
The middle of the pay range
The median was $130,220 a year, or $62.60 an hour. Half earned more and half less; this is not a starting salary.
The wider spread
The 10th-percentile wage was $81,840; the 90th was $206,960. These describe the workforce’s wage distribution, not beginner and senior pay steps.
Workplace type matters
Annual medians were $146,700 in semiconductor and electronic component manufacturing, $125,150 in engineering services, and $109,040 in telecommunications. These are different workforces, not a promised raise for switching industries.
Openings include replacement hiring
About 4,900 openings are projected each year on average, including positions created when workers leave the occupation. Employment is projected to grow 3.7% over the decade.
Getting started
Study circuits through an engineering degree
- What the route involves
- Study calculus, circuit theory, and digital systems, with laboratory work alongside classes.
- What it can lead to
- A related bachelor’s degree provides the usual educational preparation for entry-level engineering roles.
Combine the degree with work placements
Rochester Institute of Technology’s example takes five years.Paid
- What the route involves
- Choose a degree with cooperative education: periods of engineering employment between classes. Rochester Institute of Technology integrates paid placements into its electrical engineering program.
- What it can lead to
- You finish with a bachelor’s degree and experience applying engineering knowledge in a workplace.
- What to check
- The paid placements are part of the degree; they do not replace its coursework.
A related engineering degree is the usual starting point. Entry-level positions do not require an engineering license.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the product’s requirements and record tests another engineer can reproduce.
Own a circuit change
Carry a revision through design, testing, and updated drawings.
Specialize or lead
Deepen your expertise in radio communications or control systems, or move into leading engineers and technicians.
Where you can work
Memory-chip manufacturers
In product-test roles, your work centers on test programs that check memory cells and high-speed connections. Debugging the test itself is part of deciding whether a chip performs correctly.
- Indoors
Spaceflight electronics laboratories
In radiation-assurance work, you collaborate with instrument and reliability engineers to assess parts for a particular mission. Specialized testing helps the group decide whether to change a component, circuit, or shielding.
- Lab
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
Use a beginner LTspice tutorial to simulate a resistor-capacitor circuit. Predict what doubling the resistor will do to the capacitor’s charging curve, then run it. Notice whether explaining the difference interests you.
Stay safe: LTspice is free. Keep this exercise on screen; no physical circuit is needed.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. Electronics Engineers, Except Computer — 17-2072.00. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: Electronics Engineers, Except Computer. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational projections and worker characteristics, 2025–2035. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Rochester Institute of Technology. Electrical Engineering Bachelor of Science Degree. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Analog Devices. LTspice. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- Micron Technology. New College Grad — Product Test Engineer. Accessed 2026-10-04.
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Component Engineering & Assurance — Radiation Effects. Accessed 2026-10-04.