Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay
Inspect, test, repair, or maintain electrical equipment in generating stations, substations, and in-service relays.
- Median pay
- $103,020
- Doing it now
- 20,900
- By 2035
- Up 9.7%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary nondegree award
a year
across the country
1,800 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Inspect and test equipment and circuits to identify malfunctions or defects, using wiring diagrams and testing devices such as ohmmeters, voltmeters, or ammeters.
- Consult manuals, schematics, wiring diagrams, and engineering personnel to troubleshoot and solve equipment problems and to determine optimum equipment functioning.
- Notify facility personnel of equipment shutdowns.
- Open and close switches to isolate defective relays, performing adjustments or repairs.
- Prepare and maintain records detailing tests, repairs, and maintenance.
- Analyze test data to diagnose malfunctions, to determine performance characteristics of systems, or to evaluate effects of system modifications.
- Repair, replace, and clean equipment and components such as circuit breakers, brushes, and commutators.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Electrical/Electronics Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansSee 8 colleges that teach it
- Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/TechniciansSee 138 colleges that teach it
- Electrical and Power Transmission InstallersSee 2 colleges that teach it
- Energy Systems Technologies/TechniciansSee 19 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Organised and precise
Analytical and curious
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $103,020 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.