Career paths for engineers, technologists, and technicians vary in many ways. Just as the amount and content of education required for these three positions vary, so do professional responsibilities. In general, an engineer's position stresses theory, analysis, and design. A technologist's job incorporates applications of theory, analysis, and design, and a technician is involved with fabricating, operating, testing and troubleshooting, and maintaining existing equipment or systems.

Engineers, technologists, and technicians join together to form a problem-solving and solution-implementing team. A possible scenario could be described this way. An engineer uses theory and design methods to develop products and systems. The design concept is then given to a technologist, who has the responsibility for transforming the concept into a prototype or product. The device is passed to a technician, who is responsible for testing it to confirm the specifications or operation as originally designed. In actual practice, the interactions among members of the team can vary considerably.

Your Education and Employment as a Technologist

Typically, a technologist will have completed a Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) or Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET) in the field of electrical, electronics, or computer engineering. Employment opportunities range from design operations or sales to project management.

Your Education and Employment as a Technician

Technicians are generally required to complete one to two years of specialized education, usually leading to ail Associate's degree. While technicians are not responsible for designing products or systems, job satisfaction comes from "hands-on" involvement with these products and systems. Technicians typically install, test, and maintain products in the field and are integral to the manufacturing process.

Typical job titles for technologists and technicians include: