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Career Details

17-2061.00 - Computer Hardware Engineers


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.


Key Facts
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Bright Outlook
Career Details
Green Job
Career Details
Current Employment
77,700
Estimate
Forecasted Employment
80,100
Estimate
Change in Employment
+2,400
Estimate
Change in Employment %
+3.1%
Estimate
Tasks
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Tasks
The tasks listed below can be performed to prepare you for a career in this field.
Core
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Select hardware and material, assuring compliance with specifications and product requirements.
  • Store, retrieve, and manipulate data for analysis of system capabilities and requirements.
  • Write detailed functional specifications that document the hardware development process and support hardware introduction.
  • Specify power supply requirements and configuration, drawing on system performance expectations and design specifications.
  • Provide training and support to system designers and users.
  • Evaluate factors such as reporting formats required, cost constraints, and need for security restrictions to determine hardware configuration.
  • Design and develop computer hardware and support peripherals, including central processing units (CPUs), support logic, microprocessors, custom integrated circuits, and printers and disk drives.
Supplemental
  • Analyze information to determine, recommend, and plan layout, including type of computers and peripheral equipment modifications.
  • Assemble and modify existing pieces of equipment to meet special needs.
  • Recommend purchase of equipment to control dust, temperature, and humidity in area of system installation.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Knowledge
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Knowledge

The items listed below are organized into sections that contain knowledge useful for pursuing a career in this field. Each section also contains a "Percentage of Importance" statistic that shows how relevant an item is to the occupation.
 Computers and Electronics
  • 94%
    Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
 Engineering and Technology
  • 93%
    Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
 Mathematics
  • 83%
    Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
 Design
  • 83%
    Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
 English Language
  • 76%
    Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
 Physics
  • 69%
    Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub- atomic structures and processes.
 Telecommunications
  • 62%
    Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
 Education and Training
  • 58%
    Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
 Production and Processing
  • 57%
    Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
 Administration and Management
  • 54%
    Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Tools
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Tools
The tools listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Electronic and communication measuring and testing instruments
  • Alternating current AC power analyzers
  • Communications analyzers
  • Digital analysis systems DAS
  • Logic analyzers
  • Power sensors
  • Protocol analyzers
  • Protocol exercisers
  • Traffic generators
 Electric alternating current AC motors
  • Alternating current AC power sources
 Indicating and recording instruments
  • Bit error rate testers BERT
  • Logic probes
  • Probe card devices
  • Probe stations
 Electrical measuring and testing equipment and accessories
  • Circuit memory testers
  • Circuit testers
  • Communications signal analyzers
  • Dynamic signal analyzers
  • Impedance analyzers
  • Inductance capacitance resistance LCR meters
  • Multimeters
  • Oscilloscopes
  • Pulse generators
  • Resistance meters
  • Sampling oscilloscopes
  • Signal source analyzers
  • Voltage sensors
 Computer printers
  • Color plotters
 Computers
  • Desktop computers
  • Laptop computers
  • Mainframe computers
  • Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistants PDA
 Electric direct current DC motors
  • Direct current DC power supplies
 Light and wave generating and measuring equipment
  • Frequency counters
  • Function generators
  • Pattern generators
  • Signal generators
  • Spectrum analyzers
  • Universal source generators
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Technology
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Technology
The technologies listed below include machines, equipment, tools, and software that is useful for individuals who are interested in this career.
 Content management software
  • Apache Subversion SVNHOT
 Industry specific software
  • Application-specific integrated circuit ASIC logic synthesis software
  • ASSET JTAG ScanWorks
  • Autodesk AutoCADHOT
  • Automatic test program generation ATPG
  • Boundary scan insertion software
  • Built-in self-test BIST debugging software
  • Cadence Allegro PCB DesignerHOT
  • Cadence ConceptHOT
  • Cadence Dracula
  • Cadence OrCADHOT
  • Cadence PSpice
  • Cadence Schematic ComposerHOT
  • Cadence Virtuoso Layout SuiteHOT
  • Cadence Virtuoso Spectre Circuit Simulator
  • Complementary-symmetry/metal-oxide semiconductor CMOS layout softwareHOT
  • Computer aided design CAD softwareHOT
  • Computer diagnostic software
  • Computer simulation software
  • Dassault Systemes CATIAHOT
  • Data acquisition systems
  • Design-for-testability DFT insertion software
  • Discrete Fourier transform DFT analysis software
  • Electronic design automation EDA softwareHOT
  • Failure analysis software
  • Fast Fourier transform FFT analysis software
  • Field programmable gate array FPGA logic synthesis software
  • Integrated circuit simulation software
  • Logic synthesis software
  • LogicVision icBIST
  • M-Sim
  • MAGIC
  • Magma Design Automation Blast Create
  • Magma Design Automation Blast FPGA
  • Mathsoft MathcadHOT
  • Mentor Graphics BSDArchitect
  • Mentor Graphics Calibre
  • Mentor Graphics LeonardoSpectrum
  • Mentor Graphics Precision RTL
  • Mentor Graphics Xpedition xDX DesignerHOT
  • Microarchitecture simulation software
  • Monte Carlo simulation software
  • PARTHENONHOT
  • Place-and-route softwareHOT
  • PTC Creo ParametricHOT
  • SASHOT
  • Schematic editorsHOT
  • Simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis SPICE
  • SoftICE
  • State diagram softwareHOT
  • Synopsys Design Compiler
  • Synopsys Hercules
  • Synopsys HSIM
  • Synopsys HSPICE
  • Synopsys TetraMax ATPG
  • Synplicity Synplify
  • The Mathworks Control System Toolbox
  • The Mathworks Data Acquisition Toolbox
  • The Mathworks Embedded Coder
  • The MathWorks MATLABHOT
  • The MathWorks Real-Time Workshop
  • The MathWorks Signal Processing Toolbox
  • The MathWorks Simulink
  • The MathWorks Simulink DSP Blockset
  • The MathWorks Simulink Fixed-Point Blockset
  • The MathWorks Symbolic Math Toolbox
  • The MathWorks Wavelet Toolbox
  • Timing analysis software
  • Verification software
  • Xilinx ISE FoundationHOT
  • Xilinx ModelSimHOT
  • Xilinx Synthesis Technology XST
 Content authoring and editing software
  • Block diagram software
  • Microsoft ExcelHOT
  • Microsoft PowerPointHOT
  • Microsoft VisioHOT
  • Spreadsheet software
  • Word processing software
 Development software
  • Boundary scan description language BSDL
  • C
  • C++HOT
  • Cadence Encounter RTL Compiler
  • Cadence Opus
  • Freescale CodeWarrior Tools
  • Hardware description and verification language
  • Hardware description language HDL
  • Microsoft Visual BasicHOT
  • Microsoft Visual C# .NET
  • National Instruments LabVIEWHOT
  • Oracle JavaHOT
  • Practical extraction and reporting language PerlHOT
  • PythonHOT
  • Register transfer language RTL
  • SKILL
  • SystemVerilog
  • Tool command language Tcl
  • Verilog
  • Very high-speed integrated circuit VHSIC hardware description language VHDL
  • Windows kernel debuggers
 Operating environment software
  • Cisco Systems IOS
  • LinuxHOT
  • Shell scriptHOT
  • UNIXHOT
 Data management and query software
  • Data entry softwareHOT
  • Database software
  • Internet search engine software
  • Microsoft AccessHOT
  • Structured query language SQLHOT
 Network applications software
  • Eko
  • Web browser software
 Business function specific software
  • Microsoft OfficeHOT
  • Project management software
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Certifications
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Certifications
The certifications listed below are useful to pursue if you are interested in a career in this field.
 Specialty
 Advanced
 Product/Equipment
 Core
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Licensing
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Licensing
The licensing information below is organized into sections and is useful for pursuing if you are interested in a career in this field.
No specific licensing information is listed for this occupation in the area you have selected.
All data sourced from US Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration O*Net Database.
Related Programs
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Online Programs related to this career, offered by participating institution(s), are listed below.

Clicking on the Degree programs in the list below will take you away from the Careers page.
INSTITUTION
PROGRAMS
Brightpoint Community College
Northern Virginia Community College
Rappahannock Community College
Wytheville Community College