All careersSkilled trades

Wind Turbine Technician

$64,120
median / year
$49,230 – $92,460
what most earn per year (10th–90th percentile)

What the job actually is

Install, inspect, and repair the mechanical and electrical systems inside wind turbines.

You may also see this posted as: Field Service Technician, Wind Farm Support Specialist, Wind Technician, Renewable Energy Technician, Service Technician, Troubleshooting Technician.

Where you work

Wind farms, often high inside turbines; outdoors and at great heights.

The hours

Full-time; on-call and travel to remote sites are common.

The day to day

What you'd actually spend time doing

  • Troubleshoot or repair mechanical, hydraulic, or electrical malfunctions related to variable pitch systems, variable speed control systems, converter systems, or related components.
  • Perform routine maintenance on wind turbine equipment, underground transmission systems, wind fields substations, or fiber optic sensing and control systems.
  • Diagnose problems involving wind turbine generators or control systems.
  • Test electrical components of wind systems with devices, such as voltage testers, multimeters, oscilloscopes, infrared testers, or fiber optic equipment.
  • Start or restart wind turbine generator systems to ensure proper operations.

Good fit if you like…

Realistic

working with tools, equipment, materials, or the physical world

Conventional

organizing information, following systems, and getting details right

Investigative

solving problems, analyzing evidence, and figuring out how things work

O*NET job zone 3 of 5

Medium preparation—often vocational training, an associate degree, or substantial experience—is usually needed.

Work styles that matter most

DependabilityCautiousnessAttention to DetailPerseverance

Software that shows up in the work

Examples employers report—not a checklist you must already know.

Microsoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft Project

By the numbers

May 2025 BLS wage & employment data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$64,120
per year
Hourly median
$30.83
per hour
What most earn
$49,230–$92,460
yearly, 10th to 90th percentile
Openings a year
~2,300
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+49.9%
Much faster than average
Working in the U.S.
9,980
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

BLS estimates 16.7% of workers in this occupation are self-employed.

What it pays in your state

Statewide medians are a better starting point than the national number. Your city and experience still matter.

BLS state wage tables

How you get in

Typical starting education

Certificate program

Training path: Cert program plus paid on-the-job training.

Related work experience: None.

On-the-job training: Long-term on-the-job training.

License or certification

No license required; employers provide safety and technical certifications.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

Check the path where you live

Licensing rules and available programs change by state. These federal tools take you to the current official listings.

What it takes

Mechanical skillsPhysical staminaTroubleshootingUnafraid of heights

The honest take

The fastest-growing job in America.

Standard Occupational Classification 49-9081. Pay and employment from the BLS May 2025 OEWS survey; outlook and openings from the 2024–34 employment projections; job context from the Occupational Outlook Handbook; tasks, interests, work styles, software examples, and job zone from O*NET 30.3. See something off? Tell us.