Microelectronics Technician

In science, size doesn’t matter. In fact, some of the world’s most spectacular things are also its smallest. For example, DNA, blood cells, and bacteria, all of which are invisible to the naked eye, yet extremely intricate and totally essential.

What’s true of biology is also true of electronics: Small is not synonymous with simple, as the tiniest components often are the most complex. Take, for example, microchips, which are minute devices that function as the brains of electronic devices, including computers, cell phones, video games, MP3 players, GPS systems, and more.

When you’re a Microelectronics Technician, it’s your job to assist Electrical Engineers and Computer Engineers — Engineers are the brains, you’re the brawn — in developing and building microchips, via a process known as “fabrication.”

Here’s how it typically works for a Microelectronics Technician: Engineers prepare schematics of an electronic component, containing a list of the parts needed to build it and instructions for how to assemble them. With schematics in hand, you then gather the appropriate parts and construct the electronic component using special tools. Next, you test and troubleshoot what you’ve just built in order to make sure it works, and fix it when it doesn’t. Finally, you assist in creating the technical specifications for the component so that it can be accurately installed and integrated within a larger product, be it a laptop computer or an iPhone.

Someday, you’ll be a futuristic Brain Surgeon, creating and repairing microchips for robots. For now, though, as a Microelectronics Technician you’re a computer Construction Worker, building bits and bytes.