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.
Most important skills
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Operations Monitoring
- Quality Control Analysis
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Troubleshooting
Key knowledge
- Mechanical
- Engineering and Technology
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administrative
- Physics
What the work involves
- Inspect, diagnose, maintain, and operate test setups and equipment to detect malfunctions.
- Record and interpret test data on parts, assemblies, and mechanisms.
- Confer with engineering personnel regarding details and implications of test procedures and results.
- Adjust, repair, or replace faulty components of test setups and equipment.
- Identify required data, data acquisition plans, and test parameters, setting up equipment to conform to these specifications.
- Operate and calibrate computer systems and devices to comply with test requirements and to perform data acquisition and analysis.
- Test aircraft systems under simulated operational conditions, performing systems readiness tests and pre- and post-operational checkouts, to establish design or fabrication parameters.
- Fabricate and install parts and systems to be tested in test equipment, using hand tools, power tools, and test instruments.
Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Realistic, Conventional, Investigative.
Qualifications and licensing
- Most common education
- Post-Secondary Certificate (39.2% of respondents)
- Related experience
- Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years (36.1%)
- On-the-job training
- Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (35.1%)
- Preparation level
- O*NET job zone 3: Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed
- Licensing
- Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.
Check before planning
- Licensing for Aerospace Engineering and Operations Technologists and Technicians is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.
Limits
- Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
- Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0
Work environment
How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).
Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.
| Condition | Level | Compared with other occupations | Most common answer (O*NET survey) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contact with others | Low | Lower on contact with others than 74% of occupations compared | — |
| Dealing with the public | High | Higher on dealing with the public than 61% of occupations compared | — |
| Teamwork | High | Higher on teamwork than 69% of occupations compared | — |
| Freedom to make decisions | Moderate | Lower on freedom to make decisions than 57% of occupations compared | 60% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom” |
| Time pressure | Very high | Higher on time pressure than 90% of occupations compared | 55% of surveyed respondents chose “Every day” |
| Conflict situations | Moderate | Lower on conflict situations than 52% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day” |
| Dealing with unpleasant or angry people | Low | Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 77% of occupations compared | — |
| Consequence of error | Very high | Higher on consequence of error than 82% of occupations compared | 36% of surveyed respondents chose “Very serious” |
Work-pressure profile
- Time pressure: very high
- Conflict situations: moderate
- Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
- Consequence of error: very high
Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.
Full answer distributions
Contact with others
- No contact with others: 0%
- Occasional contact with others: 16.87%
- Contact with others about half the time: 12.97%
- Contact with others most of the time: 21.06%
- Constant contact with others: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Dealing with the public
- Not important at all: 15.51%
- Fairly important: 2.55%
- Important: 14.57%
- Very important: 31.77%
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Teamwork
- Not important at all: 0%
- Fairly important: 0%
- Important: 1.61%
- Very important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Extremely important: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Freedom to make decisions
- No freedom: 0%
- Very little freedom: 0%
- Limited freedom: 17.12%
- Some freedom: 59.58%
- A lot of freedom: 23.3%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Time pressure
- Never: 0%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 1.61%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 4.15%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 39.54%
- Every day: 54.7%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Conflict situations
- Never: 20.09%
- Once a year or more but not every month: 30.09%
- Once a month or more but not every week: 6.7%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 36.33%
- Every day: 6.8%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people
- Never: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a year or more but not every month: suppressed by O*NET (low precision)
- Once a month or more but not every week: 12.25%
- Once a week or more but not every day: 16.87%
- Every day: 6.8%
n = 17, Incumbent 08/2019
Consequence of error
- Not serious at all: 0%
- Fairly serious: 17.82%
- Serious: 16.14%
- Very serious: 36.39%
- Extremely serious: 29.65%
n = 16, Incumbent 08/2019
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O*NET-SOC 17-3021.00 · SOC 17-3021 (exact, high confidence) · dataset 2026.10.8