ET vs AET
Electronics Technician (USCG) vs Avionics Electrical Technician (USCG)
Same service, same small-branch family vibes, same chip on the shoulder — wildly different skill sets behind the same uniform.
"So what was your MOS?" asks one vet to another at the VFW. The ET answers: when comms are working perfectly — which is 99% of the time because you're good at your job — nobody knows you exist. The AET follows with: coast Guard aircraft fly when everyone else is grounded — and they need to work perfectly every time. The bartender, a civilian, understands none of it and pours another round anyway. Same uniform. Same oath. Completely different conversations at the VFW.
After the Uniform
The part the recruiter skips: what each job actually translates to once you're a civilian — and what it pays.
Salary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program. A guide, not a guarantee.
Recruiter vs. Reality
The pitch versus what people who actually did the job report back.
“As an Electronics Technician, you'll maintain and repair the most advanced communication, navigation, and surveillance systems in the Coast Guard fleet. You'll gain expertise in radar, satellite communications, and computer networking — skills that command top salaries in the defense electronics and telecommunications industries.”
You fix the electronics that keep the ship talking to the world — radios, radar, satellite comms, navigation systems, electronic chart displays, and whatever classified box the intel folks won't let you open but expect you to fix anyway. If it has a circuit board and lives on a boat, it's your problem, and the boat's salt air corrosion has been methodically destroying your work since before you reported aboard. You will develop an intimate personal relationship with a soldering iron, a multimeter, and the specific brand of frustration that comes from troubleshooting a radar system using a technical manual that references components the manufacturer stopped making in 2003. When comms go down in the middle of a SAR case and the CO can't talk to the helicopter, you are the most important person on the entire ship and everyone is standing behind you breathing. When comms are working perfectly — which is 99% of the time because you're good at your job — nobody knows you exist. You will explain the difference between your job and IT approximately eleven thousand times in your career. They will never, ever remember. 'So you fix computers?' No. You fix the things that keep the ship from being a floating deaf-mute. The civilian telecom and defense electronics markets pay very well for your skillset, and nobody will ask you to fix a radar at 3 AM in 15-foot seas.
“You'll keep Coast Guard aircraft mission-ready by maintaining the avionics and electrical systems that make search and rescue possible. AETs work on some of the most capable search and rescue aircraft in the world, and the avionics skills transfer directly to civilian aviation.”
You maintain the wiring, instruments, navigation systems, and communication equipment that pilots depend on to fly missions in the worst weather conditions imaginable. Coast Guard aircraft fly when everyone else is grounded — and they need to work perfectly every time. The A-school is at Elizabeth City, NC and the technical training is rigorous. The civilian avionics job market pays well, especially with an A&P license and CG operational experience.
The Real Life
Same dimensions, side by side. ET on the left, AET on the right.
Maintaining and repairing electronic systems — radar, communications, navigation, and computer systems on cutters and at shore facilities. You are the Coast Guard's electronics and IT specialist.
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A-school at Training Center Petaluma (CA) is about 26 weeks — one of the longest in the Coast Guard. Covers electronic fundamentals, communications systems, radar, and computer networking. Petaluma is in Northern California wine country — excellent quality of life.
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Low to moderate. Electronics bench work and shipboard troubleshooting. Some climbing to access antennas and radar systems.
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Electronics Technician is one of the most technically demanding and well-trained rates in the Coast Guard. The 26-week A-school is long but thorough — you emerge with genuine electronics and IT skills. The honest truth: on a cutter, you are the person who fixes everything electronic, from radar to radios to computers. The work is technically engaging and the troubleshooting skills are valuable. The civilian translation to telecommunications, IT, and electronics is strong. ETs who supplement with civilian certifications (CompTIA, Cisco) have excellent post-military career prospects.
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