CAREER

Computer Hardware Engineers

Overview

Salary Median (2020)

$128,170

Projected Job Growth (2019-2029)

+4.8% (slower than the average)

Career

What Computer Hardware Engineers Do

Research, design, develop, or 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.

Other Job Titles Computer Hardware Engineers May Have

Design Engineer, Engineer, Hardware Engineer, Systems Integration Engineer

How Leaders Describe a Typical Day at Work

Manager, Partner Hardware ,

Microsoft

A typical day on our team includes Skype conference calls with strategic hardware partners, in person meetings to triage the week's issues, as well as hands on testing of a variety of hardware both being built by Xbox but also accessories being developed by our hardware partners. With over 100 active products being developed in parallel there is a lot of collaboration and opportunities to see many different technical disciplines working together.

Implementation Engineer ,

AT&T

A great day is initiating a new project, or completing a project, or making progress on a project, doing all of the little steps necessary for equipment to be turned up for service. I keep track of managing my budget, meeting my deadlines, and learning new processes. Some days the processes flow smoothly, the numbers come in on target, the dates are all met. I try to work in the most efficient manner, so that the work moves easily.


Tasks & Responsibilities May Include

  • Update knowledge and skills to keep up with rapid advancements in computer technology.
  • Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
  • Confer with engineering staff and consult specifications to evaluate interface between hardware and software and operational and performance requirements of overall system.
  • Build, test, and modify product prototypes, using working models or theoretical models constructed with computer simulation.
  • Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.

This page includes information from theO*NET 26.1 Databaseby the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under theCC BY 4.0license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.