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The differences between archaeological technicians and field technician engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an archaeological technician and a field technician engineer. Additionally, a field technician engineer has an average salary of $50,370, which is higher than the $35,787 average annual salary of an archaeological technician.
The top three skills for an archaeological technician include GPS, GIS and excavations. The most important skills for a field technician engineer are preventive maintenance, technical support, and RF.
| Archaeological Technician | Field Technician Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $35,787 | $50,370 |
| Hourly rate | $17.21 | $24.22 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 7,638 | 73,704 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The archaeological technician is someone who operates all the necessary equipment in an archeological dig. The archeological technician will provide all of the equipment and tools needed for excavation and maintain it to reduce its wear and tear. Tools commonly carried by an archeological technician are digging tools, metal detectors, GPS equipment, and other miscellaneous articles needed for excavation. The archeological technician must have a solid background in archeology or a degree of the same nature in the humanities and social sciences.
Field service technicians or engineers are engineering professionals who are dispatched to specific locations to perform several tasks such as maintenance, service repairs, and installing electrical and engineering equipment products. These engineers are required to effectively communicate with their customers about their concerns related to equipment maintenance and repair so that they address them immediately. They must travel to customer sites to conduct survey and document existing field conditions and installation accuracy. Field service engineers must also conduct training for service technicians and operators at dealer and customer locations.
Archaeological technicians and field technician engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Archaeological Technician | Field Technician Engineer | |
| Average salary | $35,787 | $50,370 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $44,000 | Between $33,000 And $76,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | Los Angeles, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | California |
| Best paying company | TRC Companies | Medtronic |
| Best paying industry | Government | Energy |
There are a few differences between an archaeological technician and a field technician engineer in terms of educational background:
| Archaeological Technician | Field Technician Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 78% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Anthropology | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between archaeological technicians' and field technician engineers' demographics:
| Archaeological Technician | Field Technician Engineer | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.7% Female, 48.3% | Male, 92.3% Female, 7.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 9.5% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 10.4% White, 55.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |