Technician Winter Camp

Funded by the CHIPS Act

Free for 8th and 9th graders

Does your student like figuring out how things work?

Over winter break, students spend a few days building real circuits and learning how electronics work. They’ll also meet people who build and fix electronics for a living. No experience needed.

CAMP Details

Dates: December 2026 | Monday - Thursday
Hours: 10 AM to 3 PM Central Time
Location: [TBD]
Cost: Free

What happens at Winter Camp

We’re not asking your child to commit to anything long-term. After a few days, they’ll know what a technician does and whether they want to learn more.

We’re putting this together quickly, so we don’t have a location or dates yet. Filling out the form lets us know how many families are interested, and we’ll be in touch as soon as things are set. Final details depend on interest, staffing, and available sites.

tell us if you're interested

The form shows interest only. It doesn’t hold a spot yet.

What does a technician actually do?

It depends on the job, but a typical week might include these things.

Test a circuit board. Find out why a device isn’t working.
Read a wiring diagram. Use a schematic to trace a problem back to its source.
Repair or replace parts. Get the equipment running again.
Set up and calibrate equipment. Make sure it works the way it’s supposed to.
Keep a record. Write down what was wrong and what was done to fix it.
Work with engineers. Explain what you found and what you did about it.

Dallas College lists the top skills for this work as troubleshooting, repairing, critical thinking, reading comprehension, and listening. Most of those are about how you think. Technicians solve puzzles for a living.

What’s a technician?

You’ve probably never been told about this job, and most students haven’t either.

Almost everything we use has electronics inside it: phones, cars, hospital equipment, the machines that make the things we buy. Somebody has to build, test, install, and fix all of it. That person is a technician.

Technicians work in medical, automotive, computer, power and energy, oil and gas, and communications companies. Semiconductors, the tiny chips inside nearly every electronic device, are part of that world too.

ENGINEER VS. TECHNICIAN

Engineer: Designs the product.
Technician: Builds it, tests it, installs it, and gets it running again when it stops.

Is this right for my child?

Your student doesn’t have to be the best at math or science. They do need to be curious and willing to stick with a problem. It might be a good fit if they:

Take things apart to see how they work
Like video games, building kits, or gadgets
Get satisfaction from figuring out why something doesn’t work
Would rather learn by doing than sit through lectures
Like the idea of a good job without years of college debt

Good pay, short training, lower cost

These figures are for the Dallas–Fort Worth area and come from Dallas College and Lightcast.

$36/hr. Median pay for electronics technicians. Full-time, that’s roughly $75,000 a year.
+11%. Projected growth in the number of jobs.
2 months. To finish a Dallas College certificate. About $1,344 to $2,240 for in-county students.
$5,940. Estimated tuition for the two-year associate degree, for in-county students.

Sources: Dallas College (Electronics Engineering Technology, updated September 2026) and Dallas College Labor Market Intelligence / Lightcast, Dallas–Fort Worth data. Pay is the median for electrical and electronic engineering technicians. Tuition covers most books and supplies. The $75,000 figure is $36 an hour at full-time hours.

Where this leads, step by step

1. Try it

In middle school and early high school, students find out what the work is like. Winter Camp is one way to do that.

2. Take classes in high school

Technician-focused courses are offered at Hillcrest, Kimball, Career Institute North, and Career Institute South.

3. Train after graduation

Dallas College offers electronics certificates and an associate degree at Brookhaven, Cedar Valley, Eastfield, El Centro, Mountain View, North Lake, and Richland.

4. Work, or keep going

Some graduates go straight into technician jobs. Some move into technical sales or project management. Some continue on to a four-year engineering degree.

Ready to Explore the Future of Technology?

Join the Technician Winter Camp and discover hands-on STEM experiences, technician career pathways, and semiconductor technology opportunities.

Complete the interest form below.

Interest form

FAQs

No. We start from the beginning.
Yes.
No. Some technicians go to work right after training, some start working and study part-time, and some use a certificate or associate degree as a first step toward a bachelor’s. Dallas College notes that some of its workforce certificates may not transfer to other schools, so ask the college about credits if that matters to you.
That’s fine, and it’s part of the point. A few days of trying it costs a lot less than finding out after a year of classes.
HAKing Innovation, together with Dallas ISD and Texas Instruments.