Day in the life
A Day in the Life of an Electronics Engineer
What electronics engineers actually do from the start of a shift to the end: the tasks, tools, schedule and realities of the job.
What is a typical day like for an electronics engineer?
Review a schematic. From there, the day usually includes design circuits, lay out boards, and simulate designs. Full-time business hours.
Hour by hour: a typical shift
No two days are identical, but this timeline reflects a realistic day for an electronics engineer working full time.
- Review a schematic.
- Simulate a power supply.
- Lay out a PCB.
- Debug a prototype board.
- Run EMC tests.
- Meet firmware engineers.
- Update the BOM.
Where electronics engineers work
Electronics engineers work in labs and offices.
Hours and schedule
Full-time business hours.
Tasks you’ll do most often
- Design circuits
- Lay out boards
- Simulate designs
- Test prototypes
- Debug hardware
- Work with manufacturing
- Write specs
Tools you’ll use every day
- Altium or Cadence
- SPICE
- Oscilloscopes
- Spectrum analyzers
- MATLAB
- Python
The best and hardest parts of the job
What people like
- High pay
- Hands-on lab work
- Cutting-edge tech
- Many industries
What’s hard
- Fast-changing tech
- Debugging can be slow
- Clearances for defense
- Supply chain issues
You’ll likely thrive if…
- I love electronics
- I like debugging
- I like math
- I like lab work
- I want high pay
- I like new technology
Not sure? Take the free Electronics Engineer fit quiz or the Career Match Quiz.
Staying safe on the job
- Follow electrical safety
- Use ESD protection
- Follow export rules
- Protect classified data