Career profile · 17-3021
Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians
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.
What the work can involve
- Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
- Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
- Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.
- Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results.
- Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis.
- Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Mechanical
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Getting Information
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
- Working with Computers
- Documenting/Recording Information
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Exposed to Contaminants | Every day | 32.0%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 100.0%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Once a week or more but not every day | 40.8%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Spend Time Sitting | More than half the time | 37.2%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 39.5%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 50.5%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Time Pressure | Every day | 54.7%08/2019 · sample 17 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Every day | 69.0%08/2019 · sample 16 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 62.7%08/2019 · sample 17 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Data acquisition software, Vibration analysis software
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD, Dassault Systemes CATIA, Dassault Systemes SolidWorks
- Data base management system software: Apache Hadoop
- Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access, Microsoft SQL Server, Oracle Database, Structured query language SQL
- Development environment software: National Instruments LabVIEW
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software
- Graphical user interface development software: Graphical user interface GUI design software
- Industrial control software: Computerized numerical control CNC software
- Inventory management software: Inventory software
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Associate's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 27 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $62,130 | $29.87 | 140 |
| Alaska | $105,780 | $50.85 | 40 |
| Arizona | $75,230 | $36.17 | 380 |
| California | $99,000 | $47.59 | 1,560 |
| Colorado | $98,990 | $47.59 | 660 |
| Connecticut | $79,410 | $38.18 | 70 |
| Florida | $78,560 | $37.77 | 770 |
| Georgia | Not published | Not published | 400 |
| Indiana | $62,520 | $30.06 | 480 |
| Kansas | $78,350 | $37.67 | 580 |
| Maryland | $91,820 | $44.14 | 200 |
| Massachusetts | $79,420 | $38.18 | 30 |
| Michigan | $69,840 | $33.58 | 70 |
| Minnesota | $71,240 | $34.25 | Not published |
| Nevada | $102,980 | $49.51 | 50 |
| New Mexico | $66,460 | $31.95 | Not published |
| New York | $64,480 | $31.00 | 330 |
| North Carolina | Not published | Not published | 190 |
| Ohio | $79,310 | $38.13 | 900 |
| Oklahoma | $45,590 | $21.92 | 30 |
| Oregon | $81,100 | $38.99 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $60,770 | $29.22 | 80 |
| South Carolina | Not published | Not published | 120 |
| Texas | $78,350 | $37.67 | 950 |
| Utah | $76,680 | $36.87 | 400 |
| Virginia | $81,040 | $38.96 | 270 |
| Washington | $125,160 | $60.18 | 1,590 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 36 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
- Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers→
- Avionics Technicians→
- Calibration Technologists and Technicians→
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians→
- Electrical and Electronics Drafters→
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay→
- Electro-Mechanical and Mechatronics Technologists and Technicians→
- Mechanical Drafters→
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 17-3021.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.