Skilled Trades & Technical

Industrial Technician

Install, test, and repair the robots, sensors, and control systems that automate factories and plants

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What does an Industrial Technician do?

Industrial technicians work in large plants, often with automated equipment run by computers and sensors. They read wiring diagrams, troubleshoot control panels, and keep production moving. The work blends electrical, mechanical, and computer skills, so it fits people who enjoy fixing complex systems.

A day in the life

7:00 AMReview alarms on the control system from the overnight run
8:00 AMTest a sensor that keeps stopping a packaging line
10:00 AMReplace a faulty motor drive and check the wiring diagram
12:30 PMProgram a small change to a robot arm's path
2:00 PMCalibrate a pressure gauge and record the readings
3:30 PMPlan next month's maintenance shutdown with the plant engineer

What's great

  • Work with robots and automation
  • Two-year degree opens the door
  • Skills are needed across many industries
  • Clear steps toward engineer-level work

The hard parts

  • Called in when lines go down
  • Learn new systems all the time
  • Working near live electricity and moving parts
  • Rotating shifts in some plants

What is an Industrial Technician's salary and outlook?

$30k – $75k
Salary Range
Associate's degree
Typical Education
Stable

Typical pay in this guide runs from about $30,000 to $75,000 a year, with a midpoint around $50,000. These are planning figures for students, not a job offer or an official wage.

CareerLens rates the outlook as Stable.

For the official national outlook, see BLS Occupational Data.

How do you become an Industrial Technician?

A common path is Associate degree in industrial technology, mechatronics, or electronics. The ladder often runs from Junior Industrial Technician to Industrial Technician, then Senior Controls Technician, and Plant Engineering Manager. Other routes: Apprenticeship in industrial maintenance or electrical work; Military electronics or mechanic training; Certificate in programmable logic controllers; Bachelor's in engineering technology later on.

  • Apprenticeship in industrial maintenance or electrical work
  • Military electronics or mechanic training
  • Certificate in programmable logic controllers
  • Bachelor's in engineering technology later on

Career path

Entry level
Junior Industrial Technician
Mid career
Industrial Technician
Senior
Senior Controls Technician
Executive
Plant Engineering Manager

Will AI replace an Industrial Technician?

How much will AI change this job?

Quite a bit

AI will help with some tasks in this job, while the most important parts stay human.

There's no exact match for this career in the research, so this is based on similar jobs: Industrial Machinery Mechanics; Industrial Engineering Technologists and Technicians.

AI helps track machines, but hands-on fixing stays human.

Industrial technicians keep machines and systems running smoothly in factories and plants. AI tools can help spot problems early and organize maintenance schedules. But fixing, adjusting, and testing real equipment still needs a skilled person on site.

AI can help with

  • Predicting when machines might break down
  • Organizing maintenance logs and repair records
  • Analyzing sensor data for unusual patterns

What stays human

  • Physically repairing and adjusting machinery
  • Troubleshooting unexpected equipment failures
  • Making safety judgment calls on the shop floor

Skills to build now

  • Take apart and rebuild simple mechanical devices
  • Practice basic math and measurement skills
  • Join a robotics or shop class club

Based on public research from Anthropic and OpenAI, drafted with AI, checked automatically, and read by a person. How we know

This describes how the work may change. It is not a prediction that the job will disappear.