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Information TechnologyTop JobColorado Talent Pipeline Report-aligned occupation with strong annual openings, growth, and wage signals.

Computer Hardware Engineer

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.

Annual openings

195

Median wage

$156,080

Typical education

Bachelor's degree

Growth 2026–2032

+7%

Median wage source: Colorado BLS OEWS (2025).

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Career requirements

What does this career require?

Explore education, required qualifications, voluntary credentials and employer preferences for this role. Check the details to see which apply.

Typical education

Bachelor's degree

Credential requirement

Credential requirements not reported

Remote work

Some companies (information technology companies for example) and jobs (such as call center support) offer the opportunity for staff to work remotely, including from rural locations. To see if a job offers this opportunity, please review job postings from job banks such as ZipRecruiter, Indeed or ConnectingColorado, and look for key words such as "location independent", "remote", "virtual", "telecommute", "flex" or for companies posting the same job in many locations.

Is this work a fit?

What the work actually feels like

How people in this career tend to spend their time, the interests it draws on, and a look at a typical day.

Work style

The type of work can vary by job and employer.

  • With childrenNo
  • On a computerYes
  • OutdoorsNo
  • With your handsYes

Interests it draws on

  • Engineering and Science
  • Engineering

Automation exposure

Low exposure

Tasks here lean on judgement and people skills that are hard to automate.

A typical day

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