Education
A number of colleges and universities across North America offer two-year
degree and diploma programs in semiconductor technologies. In addition to
courses in semiconductor technologies, students study computers, microelectronics,
physics and chemistry.
Stan Kohan teaches engineering technology at Richland College in Dallas.
The college offers an associate's degree focused on semiconductor manufacturing.
The degree can be completed in about two years. It provides the level of training
that technicians need, Kohan says.
"It is not common for techs to go on to four-year degrees," says Kohan.
"Further 'college education' is of little use, but specific job-related training
is constantly provided by manufacturers and equipment suppliers."
This fits with the experience of Cheryl Major, a project technician in
Boston whose learning has been mostly "on-the-job."
"The majority of (my) training has come from within the organizations I've
been employed by," says Major. "[One of the companies I worked for] offered
its employees college-level courses in everything from Microsoft software
products... to integrated circuit design and fabrication, team building, and
equipment-specific repair and programming.
"[Another company] offered the experience of working with bright young
PhD scientists, many of whom were more than willing to share their knowledge,"
says Major. "[The company] had an academic feel to the day-to-day activities.
"I do believe that on-the-job training for high tech technicians is fairly
typical," she says. "From my experiences, those who pursue science-based degrees
end up in engineering positions. Those of us who pursue non-technical degrees
or no degrees at all can thrive in the technician role given the right support
within the organization."
Electronics technician Kevin Baker found that two years of training was
a good foundation for his career.
"I graduated from a two-year college diploma [program] as an electronics
engineering technician," says Baker. "This is very typical of the requirements
for entry-level positions in the electronics field."