Occupation Profile

Computer Hardware Engineers

(SOC Code : 17-2061)

in California

Research, design, develop, and test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use. May supervise the manufacturing and installation of computer or computer-related equipment and components. Exclude "Computer Software Engineers, Applications" (15-1031) and "Computer Software Engineers, Systems Software" (15-1032).

Employers are usually looking for candidates with a Bachelor's degree .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$55.02	$43.32	$54.38	$66.91

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	19,600	23,300	3,700	18.9	830

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Within miles of Zip Code.

Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Industry Title

Number of Employers in State of California

Percent of Total
Employment for Occupation in State of California

Computer Systems Design and Rel Services

9,933

29.7%

Computers and Peripheral Equipment

509

27.8%

Semiconductor and Electronic Components

1,759

11.1%

Scientific Research and Development Svc

5,742

8.3%

Communications Equipment Manufacturing

464

2.6%

Electronic Instrument Manufacturing

1,043

2.1%

Electric Goods Merchant Wholesalers

7,773

1.8%

Commercial Goods Merchant Wholesalers

7,080

1.2%

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Computer Engineering, General

Computer Hardware Engineering

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About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.

Provide technical support to designers, marketing and sales departments, suppliers, engineers and other team members throughout the product development and implementation process.

Test and verify hardware and support peripherals to ensure that they meet specifications and requirements, by recording and analyzing test data.

Monitor functioning of equipment and make necessary modifications to ensure system operates in conformance with specifications.

Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications.

Build, test, and modify product prototypes using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.

Analyze user needs and recommend appropriate hardware.

Direct technicians, engineering designers or other technical support personnel as needed.

Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.

Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.

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Top Skills used in this Job

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Operations Analysis - Analyzing needs and product requirements to create a design.

Time Management - Managing one`s own time and the time of others.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Working Conditions - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer job security and good working conditions.

Achievement - Occupations that satisfy this work value are results oriented and allow employees to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Investigative - Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Realistic - Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.

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Alternate Titles

Computer Engineers; Hardware Engineers; Network Engineers; Telecommunications Engineers