Electronics Tester

If they had their way, most people would spend their days watching television, playing video games, surfing the Internet, texting their friends, and trying to outsmart their car’s GPS by taking a “shortcut” on the way to the grocery store. Unfortunately, most people have to go to work — and leave their high-tech toys at home.

When you’re an Electronics Tester, however, you’re not “most people”: Not only do you get to do all of the above, day in and day out, but you also get paid for doing it.

That’s because it’s your job as an Electronics Tester to test electronics, which means you spend your days using the latest electronic devices to make sure they work correctly.

Employed by electronics manufacturers, you’re often known as an Electronics Test Technician, or sometimes an Electronics Engineering Technician. Even as your title changes, however, your duties remain the same.

Using technical drawings as guides, you first inspect the product — be it a computer, television, smartphone, or stereo — to make sure everything looks the way it’s supposed to look on the outside. Second, you use x-ray equipment to inspect the product on the inside. Third, you measure the product’s voltage to make sure its electrical components are functioning properly. Finally, you conduct various tests to determine the product’s effectiveness, durability, and safety, all the while taking notes so that Product Engineers can fix the flaws you find.

As you can see, being an Electronics Tester requires more than playing with electronics. It also requires a great deal of technical knowledge in the areas of electronics and engineering, as you function in many instances as a “junior” Electronics Engineer, helping to turn imperfect prototypes into perfect products.