Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technician Career Assessment
Two-year degree, hands-on electronics, strong North Dakota pay
Welcome
This is a two-year career. No four-year degree. No calculus. The middle worker in North Dakota earns about $38.91 an hour, or about $80,930 a year.
Electrical and electronic engineering technicians build, test, install, and fix electrical and electronic equipment. If you liked shop class, or you were good with your hands in a trade, this is a door that is open to you.
This takes about 15 minutes.
What is a Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technician?
These technicians take a design and make it real, then keep it working. They build and wire test setups. They run tests on equipment and write down what happened. They install and calibrate instruments. Calibration means adjusting an instrument so its reading matches a known correct value, the way you would zero out a scale before weighing something. They also troubleshoot, which means tracking a problem down step by step instead of guessing. Some work beside engineers in a lab. Many work in plants, utilities, and manufacturing, keeping equipment running.
The Reality: The path is short, but the work is real. You will read schematics, which are drawings full of symbols instead of pictures, and you have to be able to follow them. You will use algebra and some trigonometry. You will troubleshoot in order, not by guessing, and that skill takes practice. Plant and utility jobs often mean shift work, being on call, or getting a phone call at 2 AM when something goes down. Some of the work is in loud areas where hearing protection is required, and any work near an energized electrical panel means arc-flash rated clothing, a face shield, and gloves. Some jobs involve climbing ladders or working in cramped equipment rooms. Ask about all of that in the interview.
Your Responsibilities:
- Build and wire test setups for engineers
- Run tests on equipment and record the results
- Read schematics and wiring diagrams to find a problem
- Install, calibrate, and adjust electronic instruments
- Use meters, oscilloscopes, and signal testers
- Solder and repair circuit boards and wiring
- Keep clear records of what was tested, changed, and fixed
- Order parts and keep the spares stocked
You are the person who makes the design work in the real world and keeps it working.
A Day in the Life
7:00 AM — Safety meeting and the day's work list.
7:30 AM — A control panel alarm went off overnight. Pull up the schematic.
8:30 AM — Put on arc-flash gear and check the panel with a meter.
10:00 AM — Find a failed relay. Replace it and test the circuit.
12:00 PM — Lunch.
12:45 PM — Calibrate three pressure instruments and log the readings.
2:30 PM — Help an engineer wire up a test bench for a new part.
4:00 PM — Write up your work orders and restock the parts cart.
A mix of bench work, panel work, and walking the plant or lab.
Training in North Dakota
A two-year associate degree is the standard path. That is the whole requirement. Employers want an associate degree in electronics, electrical technology, or instrumentation. North Dakota's community colleges are built for exactly this. You take college algebra and trigonometry, not calculus. Most of your time is in a lab with real equipment.
Training Pathways:
- Two-year AAS degree (2 years): The main road. Williston State College offers Electronics and Industrial Controls, AAS, a minimum of 62 credits, covering "electronics, instrumentation, programmable logic controllers, process control, SCADA systems, and industrial automation" (willistonstate.edu).
- Certificate first, degree later (1 year, then finish): Bismarck State College offers a one-year Electronics Technology Program Certificate, on campus and online, that "provides students with a basic electronics background." BSC also offers an Instrumentation and Control Technology certificate that can be finished entirely online, and says certificate holders "may return for additional coursework to earn the AAS" (bismarckstate.edu, catalog.bismarckstate.edu).
- Come in from a trade: If you already have electrical experience, you may not start at zero. BSC says students with electrician credentials or 28 or more college credits "can move directly into the 2nd year" of the Instrumentation and Control Technology program (bismarckstate.edu/academics/programs/ic).
Where to Train in North Dakota:
- Williston State College (Williston) — Electronics and Industrial Controls, AAS, minimum 62 credits. Covers electronics, instrumentation, PLC programming, control systems, mechatronics, and field device networking — willistonstate.edu/programs/Electronics-and-Industrial-Controls
- Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Instrumentation and Control Technology, AAS and certificate, on campus and online. BSC says the certificate "can be completed entirely online" and that online AAS students normally do third and fourth semester labs on campus in the summer, though students already working in a facility with instrumentation equipment may be able to do labs remotely — catalog.bismarckstate.edu/catalog/degrees/career-technical-education/instrumentation-control-technology
- Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Electronics Technology, Program Certificate, one year, offered on campus and online. Includes two semesters of digital electronics plus alternating current and direct current analysis and solid-state devices. Online students must complete a consultation before entering — catalog.bismarckstate.edu/catalog/degrees/career-technical-education/electronics-technology
- North Dakota State College of Science (Wahpeton) — the NDSCS program list includes Industrial Electrical, A.A.S., Electrical Construction, A.A.S., and Electrical Master Technician, A.A.S. — ndscs.edu/academics/programs
- Turtle Mountain College (Belcourt) — Electrical Technician, Associate of Applied Science, and an Electrical Technician certificate — tm.edu/academics
Before You Start: High school diploma or GED. Be ready for college algebra and trigonometry. Good close-up vision and color vision help a lot, because parts are small and wires are color-coded. A driver's license, because some jobs travel between sites.
Tip: Start with financial aid and scholarships. Fill out the FAFSA, ask the school’s financial aid office what you qualify for, and ask an employer whether they help pay for school. That is where the money starts. After that, ask a career counselor or Job Service North Dakota whether WIOA or other programs can help with what is left over, like tuition, books, a laptop, or exam fees. What can be paid for depends on the program and on your own situation, so ask before you enroll rather than after. Worth asking about specifically: two-year degrees that train you for a job, like civil engineering technology, land surveying, mechatronics, electronics, or instrumentation. North Dakota two-year colleges also cost far less than a university. Ask about paid summer internships too — engineering firms, plants, and survey crews hire students while they are still in school.
Certification & Licensing
No state license is required for this job. Employers name their own preferred certificates. North Dakota does not license electrical and electronic engineering technicians. That is real news, not a loophole. What employers do is name certificates they like in the job ad, or train you on their own equipment after you are hired. Two national credentials are worth knowing about, and both are real and verifiable. Note that an electrician is a different job with a different ND license; if you plan to do licensed electrical installation work, that is a separate path.
Real Credentials in This Field:
- No North Dakota license required to work as an electrical or electronic engineering technician — your degree and your hands are your credential
- ISA CCST Level 1 — Certified Control Systems Technician from the International Society of Automation. ISA says you "must have at least 5 years of combined education, training and a minimum of 1 year of related work experience." Your two-year degree counts toward that total (isa.org/certification/ccst/ccst-requirements)
- ISA CCST Level 2 (Specialist) — ISA asks for "at least 7 years of combined education, training and related work experience, including at least 2 years in instrumentation/measurement and control"
- ISA CCST Level 3 (Master) — ISA asks for "at least 13 years of combined education, training and related work experience, including at least 5 years in instrumentation/measurement and control"
- NICET certification — the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies certifies engineering technicians in areas including electrical power testing, fire alarm systems, and inspection and testing of fire alarm systems, on a Level I through IV ladder (nicet.org)
- Employer and manufacturer training — many plants pay for training on the specific brand of controller or instrument they run. Ask in the interview whether they pay for it
The Exams: ISA and NICET exams are taken at their own test centers. ISA notes that "work experience and educational periods may not overlap" when you add up years, and that a degree counts up to a maximum of 4 years toward the total. NICET says its levels require passing exams, related work experience, and, at Levels III and IV, personal recommendations.
Cost: Ask ISA and NICET for current exam fees, because they change and members pay less. Many employers will pay the fee if the certificate helps them. Your two-year degree is the main cost.
Keeping It Current: NICET says certification is maintained through continuing professional development with recertification every three years. ISA credentials renew on their own schedule. Neither is required to hold the job.
Salary & Job Outlook
North Dakota Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technician Pay (May 2025):
- Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $26.80–$33.18/hour ($55,750–$69,010/year)
- Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $38.91/hour ($80,930/year)
- Experienced (top 25–10%): $42.79–$54.00/hour ($89,000–$112,330/year)
What that means: North Dakota numbers were published, so these are real ND figures. The middle technician here earns about $38.91 an hour, or about $80,930 a year, for a two-year degree. That is worth sitting with. North Dakota beats the national median for this job at every level: the US median is $37.59 an hour, or $78,190. Energy, utility, and plant work in this state pays well. The sample is moderate, about 140 workers, so the numbers are steadier than in some of these careers, but they still bounce a little year to year. Overtime and on-call pay can push real earnings above the listed wage.
Jobs in North Dakota: About 140 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 140 (about 1% growth — nearly flat). Expect about 10 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 1% growth — slower than average.
Outlook: Steady, not booming, and that is fine. O*NET shows about 140 of these technicians in North Dakota now and about 140 in 2034, with about 10 openings a year. Most of those openings come from people retiring or moving up, not from the field growing. Nationally there are about 8,400 openings a year. Ten openings a year in a state this size is a workable number for a two-year degree, and the pay is strong.
Who Hires in ND: Electric utilities and rural co-ops, power plants, refineries and gas plants, water and wastewater plants, manufacturers, unmanned aircraft and defense suppliers, and instrument and controls service companies.
Work Setting: A mix of a lab or shop bench and the plant floor or the field. Plant floors are loud and require hearing protection. Work near energized panels requires arc-flash rated clothing, a face shield, and gloves. Some sites mean outdoor work in North Dakota weather. Plants that run around the clock use shifts and on-call rotations.
Physical Demands: Medium. Standing, walking, kneeling, and lifting tools and parts. Some ladder climbing and some cramped equipment rooms, depending on the site. Good close-up vision and color vision matter. A lab or bench-heavy job is much lighter than a plant job, so if you have a physical limitation, ask specifically which kind of job you are interviewing for.
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 17-3023); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.
Where This Leads
Path 1: Technician Trainee or Helper — Learning the equipment beside someone experienced.
Path 2: Electrical or Electronics Technician — Working on your own on assigned equipment.
Path 3: Instrumentation and Controls Technician — Specializing in instruments and calibration.
Path 4: Lead Technician or Maintenance Planner — Planning the work and guiding others.
Path 5: Field Service Technician — Traveling to customer sites for a manufacturer.
Path 6: Maintenance Supervisor — Running the crew and the schedule.
The Real Talk
What's Great:
- Two-year degree, no calculus
- Pay above the US median
- Real hands-on troubleshooting
- Indoor and outdoor mix
- Skills work in many industries
- Employers often pay for more training
What's Hard:
- Reading schematics takes practice
- Shift work and on-call in plants
- Loud areas and hearing protection
- Arc-flash gear near live panels
- Only about 10 ND openings a year
- Some climbing and cramped spaces
Be Honest: Can you follow a drawing full of symbols? Can you troubleshoot in order instead of guessing? Are you OK with shift work or a 2 AM phone call, if the job you want is in a plant?