Architecture and Engineering · Holland code RCI

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.

Also called: Engineering Technician, Instrumentation Technician, Systems Test Technician, Test Technician, Avionics Installation Technician, Avionics Test Technician, Engineering Test Technician, Flight Test Instrument Technician.

O*NET 17-3021.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $82,890; Middle half earn $67,680 to $111,280. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Post-Secondary Certificate; 39% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 3 of 5; Medium preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
US employment outlook, 2024 to 2034: +8% · Much faster than average; 9,300 jobs in 2024, projected 10,100. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, which groups this with similar roles as "Aerospace engineering and operations technologists and technicians".

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.
Finish vehicle instrumentation and deinstrumentation.
Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Critical Thinking3.9 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.8 / 5
Active Listening3.6 / 5
Speaking3.6 / 5
Writing3.1 / 5
Science3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Mechanical4.5 / 5
Engineering and Technology4.3 / 5
Mathematics3.9 / 5
Production and Processing3.8 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.7 / 5
English Language3.4 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic91
Investigative69
Artistic0
Social0
Enterprising7
Conventional72

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

aerospace engineer · DE Ingenieur Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik/Ingenieurin Luft- und Raumfahrttechnik · FR ingénieur en aérospatiale/ingénieure en aérospatiale
satellite engineer · DE Ingenieur Satellitentechnik/Ingenieurin Satellitentechnik · FR ingénieur des satellites/ingénieure des satellites
flight test engineer · DE Flugtest-Ingenieur/Flugtest-Ingenieurin · FR ingénieur d’essais en vol/ingénieure d’essais en vol
mechanical engineering technician · DE Maschinenbautechniker/Maschinenbautechnikerin · FR technicien en ingénierie mécanique/technicienne en ingénierie mécanique
aerospace engineering technician · DE Flugzeugbautechniker/Flugzeugbautechnikerin · FR technicien en ingénierie aérospatiale/technicienne en ingénierie aérospatiale
material stress analyst · DE Materialprüftechniker/Materialprüftechnikerin · FR analyste en comportement des matériaux

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Aerospace engineers (2126)41,700 employed
Security system installers and repairers (5245)17,800 employed
Mechanical engineers (professional) (2122)94,400 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Technicians and associate professionals, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€50,992
Austria	€46,986
Germany	€44,473
Netherlands	€42,448
Ireland	€41,613
Sweden	€41,155
Italy	€34,882
France	€34,816
Spain	€29,757
Portugal	€18,080
Poland	€12,108

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Exposure to AI

This occupation sits in the middle third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.39. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.

Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.

Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (17-3021).

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

Take the career interests test