Electronics Engineer Career Assessment

2What is a Electronics Engineer?

An electronics engineer designs the electrical parts of a product that are not the computer itself. They draw the circuit. They pick the parts. They build a first model, test it, find out why it does not work, and change the design. A circuit is the path electricity follows through a device. A schematic is the drawing that shows that path, using symbols instead of pictures. Electronics engineers live in schematics. They also write test plans, work with the people who build the boards, and fix problems that show up after a product ships.

The Reality: Here is the honest part. This job needs a bachelor's degree in electrical or electronics engineering. That means calculus 1, 2, and 3, differential equations, and physics with calculus. Nobody gets to skip those. North Dakota is also a very small market for this title: O*NET counts about 50 electronics engineers in the whole state, and the state projection rounds to about 0 openings a year. If you want electronics work and you do not want four years of heavy math, stop here and read the next three careers in this group instead. Those are two-year technician jobs, they pay well in North Dakota, and they are hands-on. That is not a consolation prize. For many people it is the better fit.

Your Responsibilities:

• Draw schematics for circuit boards and control systems
• Pick the parts a circuit needs and check they will hold up
• Build a first model and test it on the bench
• Use an oscilloscope and meters to find out why a circuit misbehaves
• Write test plans and record what the tests showed
• Work with the shop that builds and solders the boards
• Make sure a product meets safety and radio rules
• Fix design problems found after a product is already in use

You design the electronics that make a machine sense, decide, and act.

3A Day in the Life

7:30 AM — Check test results that ran overnight on a new board.

8:30 AM — Team meeting. A sensor is reading wrong at cold temperatures.

9:30 AM — Sit at the bench with an oscilloscope and trace the signal.

11:00 AM — Change the schematic in the design software. Order new parts.

12:00 PM — Lunch.

1:00 PM — Walk to the shop floor and talk to the technicians building the boards.

2:30 PM — Write up the test plan for the next round.

4:00 PM — Read a part datasheet and update the parts list.

Mostly desk and lab bench work, with time on the shop floor.

4Training in North Dakota

This one needs a four-year engineering degree. The technician jobs in this group do not. You need a bachelor's degree in electrical or electronics engineering. Try hard to pick an ABET accredited program. ABET is a national group that reviews engineering degrees. An ABET degree makes getting licensed much easier later. You can start at a North Dakota two-year college to save money and then transfer.

Training Pathways:

• Straight to the university (4 to 5 years): UND offers a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, 126 credit hours, listed at 4 to 5 years, and accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. UND offers it 100% online or on campus, and says online students can do lab work remotely with lab kits (und.edu). NDSU also has an ABET accredited electrical engineering major (ndsu.edu).
• Start at a two-year college, then transfer (4 to 5 years total): Take your math and physics close to home first, then move to the university. United Tribes Technical College lists a Pre-Engineering program, Cankdeska Cikana Community College lists a Pre-Engineering associate degree, and Turtle Mountain College lists an Engineering, Associate of Science (uttc.edu, littlehoop.edu, tm.edu).
• Two-year technician route (2 years, different job title): If four years of calculus is not your road, an electronics or mechatronics technician degree puts you in the same labs and plants, hands on the equipment. It is honest, well-paid work. It is a technician title, not the engineer title. The next three careers in this packet cover it.

Where to Train in North Dakota:

• University of North Dakota (Grand Forks) — Electrical Engineering, B.S.E.E., 126 credit hours, 4 to 5 years. UND states the degree "is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET" and is offered 100% online or on campus — und.edu/programs/electrical-engineering-bsee
• North Dakota State University (Fargo) — Electrical Engineering major. NDSU says the program is "Accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET" — ndsu.edu/programs/undergraduate/electrical-engineering
• Bismarck State College (Bismarck) — Mechatronics Engineering Technology, Bachelor of Applied Science. BSC says it is offered "on-campus with some courses available online" and that students may enter with an AAS, certificate, or diploma in an approved related program — bismarckstate.edu/academics/programs/MechatronicsEngineeringTechnologyBAS. Note: this is an engineering technology degree, not the same as an engineering degree.
• Turtle Mountain College (Belcourt) — Engineering, Associate of Science, and Cankdeska Cikana Community College (Fort Totten) — Pre-Engineering, for a two-year start close to home before transferring (tm.edu, littlehoop.edu)

Before You Start: High school diploma or GED, and you must be ready for college math. Take every high school math class you can: algebra 2, trigonometry, and pre-calculus. Take physics. If your math is rusty, take a college placement test early and plan on a catch-up class before you start.

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.

5Certification & Licensing

No license is required to work as an electronics engineer for a company. A license matters if you want to stamp designs or run your own firm. Most electronics engineers never get a state license, because an engineer working inside a company on that company's own products usually does not need one. A stamp is an official mark that says "I am responsible for this design." If you want to consult, or open your own firm, you need the license. Employers often ask instead for skills you can prove: a specific design software, a wiring standard, or a security clearance.

Credentials That Are Real in This Field:

• No state license required to work as a company electronics engineer — employers name their own preferred credentials, so read the job ads you actually want
• FE exam — the Fundamentals of Engineering exam from NCEES, with an Electrical and Computer version. Most people take it in their last year of college (ncees.org)
• Engineer Intern (EI, also called EIT) — what you become after passing the FE exam, if you decide to go the license route
• PE exam and Professional Engineer license — for engineers who want to stamp designs or run a firm. Handled by the North Dakota State Board of Registration for Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
• ISA Certified Automation Professional (CAP) — ISA, the International Society of Automation, says CAP "demonstrates mastery of standardized automation knowledge" for people who work in control and automation (isa.org/certification)
• NICET certification — the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies certifies in areas including electrical power testing and fire alarm systems, on a Level I through IV ladder (nicet.org)

The Exams: The FE exam and the PE exam are both taken on a computer at a test center. NCEES gives you one try per testing window and no more than three tries in 12 months. ISA and NICET exams are separate and are taken at their own test centers.

Cost: Your degree is the big cost here, not any exam. Ask NCEES, ISA, and NICET for their current fees before you plan a budget, because they change.

Keeping It Current: A professional engineer license in North Dakota runs on a two-year cycle with continuing education. NICET says certifications are renewed every three years with continuing professional development. ISA credentials also renew on their own schedule.

6Salary & Job Outlook

North Dakota Electronics Engineer Pay (May 2025):

• Starting out (bottom 10–25%): $37.79–$48.06/hour ($78,610–$99,950/year)
• Middle (median — half earn more, half earn less): $50.41/hour ($104,860/year)
• Experienced (top 25–10%): $60.59–$86.09/hour ($126,030–$179,070/year)

What that means: North Dakota numbers were published, so these are real ND figures, not national ones. The middle ND electronics engineer earns about $50.41 an hour, or about $104,860 a year. Read this range carefully. Only about 50 electronics engineers are counted in the whole state, and a sample that small gets pulled around by a handful of people. Notice the shape: the ND 25th percentile ($48.06) sits very close to the ND median ($50.41), which is what a small, bunched-up sample looks like. Notice too that the ND median is well below the national median of $62.60 an hour. The national number is lifted by big coastal technology employers. Plan on the middle, not the top.

Jobs in North Dakota: About 50 people do this work in ND today. By 2034, that should be about 60 (about 22% growth). Expect about 0 job openings every year in ND from growth and people retiring or changing jobs. Across the U.S., the change is about 6% growth — faster than average.

Outlook: Mixed, and you should hear it straight. The percent looks great, but the numbers behind it are tiny: about 50 electronics engineers in North Dakota now and about 60 by 2034. O*NET rounds North Dakota openings to about 0 a year. That does not mean nobody is ever hired. It means openings here come up when one person retires or moves, and you have to be ready the month it happens. Nationally there are about 5,700 openings a year, so being willing to move matters a lot in this one. The technician careers later in this packet have far more North Dakota openings.

Who Hires in ND: Defense and aerospace suppliers, unmanned aircraft companies in the Grand Forks area, farm equipment and precision agriculture manufacturers, electronics manufacturers in the Fargo area, utilities, and engineering consulting firms. Many North Dakota graduates take jobs out of state.

Work Setting: An office with a computer plus a lab bench with test equipment. Time on a manufacturing floor, which means hearing protection and safety glasses. Mostly regular daytime hours, with crunch weeks before a product launch.

Physical Demands: Low. Most of the day is sitting at a screen or standing at a bench. Good close-up vision helps, because circuit board parts are very small. Color vision helps, because wires and parts are color-coded. Little lifting and no climbing in most jobs.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, North Dakota, May 2025 (SOC 17-2072); North Dakota and U.S. long-term employment projections 2024–2034, via O*NET OnLine. Numbers are rounded.

7Where This Leads

Path 1: Engineering Technician — A two-year-degree job building and testing what engineers design.

Path 2: Junior Design Engineer — You design small pieces under a senior engineer.

Path 3: Design Engineer — You own a whole circuit or product.

Path 4: Systems or Lead Engineer — You design how the parts fit together and guide others.

Path 5: Engineering Manager — You run the team and the schedule.

Path 6: Field Applications Engineer — You travel and help customers use the product.

8The Real Talk

What's Great:

• Very strong pay
• Real design work, not just repair
• Degree that travels anywhere
• Mostly indoor, low-strain work
• You see products you made in use
• Clear path into management

What's Hard:

• Four to five years of heavy math
• Very few ND jobs — about 50 statewide
• May have to move for work
• Long stretches at a screen
• Crunch weeks before a launch
• Designs fail and you start over

Be Honest: Are you willing to do four to five years of calculus-level math? Are you willing to move if North Dakota has no opening the year you graduate? If either answer is no, would a two-year technician job give you what you actually want?

9Part 1: What Attracts You?

10Part 2: Are You Ready?

11Part 3: Your Next Move

Your Electronics Engineer Assessment Results