Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians

Median salary

$82,890

Average salary

$91,310

Employment

11,280

Projected growth

8.1% growth

Annual openings

900

Typical entry education

Associate's degree

What Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians Do

Operate, install, adjust, and maintain integrated computer/communications systems, consoles, simulators, and other data acquisition, test, and measurement instruments and equipment, which are used to launch, track, position, and evaluate air and space vehicles. May record and interpret test data.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: None
Self-employed: 1.4%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Mechanicalimportance 4.5/5
Engineering and Technologyimportance 4.3/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.9/5
Production and Processingimportance 3.8/5
Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.7/5
English Languageimportance 3.4/5
Administrativeimportance 3.4/5
Physicsimportance 3.3/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

Importance of Being Exact or Accurate5.0/5
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.9/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
E-Mail4.7/5
Telephone Conversations4.5/5
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.5/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Nuclear Technicians93% skill match
Paper Goods Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders90% skill match
Multiple Machine Tool Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic89% skill match
Sawing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Wood89% skill match
Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators88% skill match
Layout Workers, Metal and Plastic88% skill match
Forging Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic88% skill match
Semiconductor Processing Technicians88% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Operations Monitoringimportance 3.8/5
Quality Control Analysisimportance 3.8/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
Troubleshootingimportance 3.3/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
Operation and Controlimportance 3.0/5
Repairingimportance 3.0/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Attention to Detail
Dependability
Cautiousness
Integrity
Intellectual Curiosity
Perseverance
Adaptability

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

RealisticHigh
ConventionalHigh
InvestigativeHigh
EnterprisingLow
ArtisticLow
SocialLow

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.

Where This Career Is Most Concentrated

Metro areas where aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).

1Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL27.08× national avg
2Wichita, KS22.77× national avg
3Boulder, CO15.47× national avg
4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA10.39× national avg
5Ogden, UT8.92× national avg

Possible Career Moves

A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.

Avionics TechniciansCareer Change
Nuclear TechniciansCareer Change
Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and RelayCareer Change
Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation EquipmentCareer Change

See the full career path from Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians →

Related Education Programs

Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.