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Archaeologist vs environmental technician

The differences between archaeologists and environmental technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an archaeologist and an environmental technician. Additionally, an archaeologist has an average salary of $50,314, which is higher than the $39,690 average annual salary of an environmental technician.

The top three skills for an archaeologist include excavations, GPS and GIS. The most important skills for an environmental technician are patients, OSHA, and hazardous materials.

Archaeologist vs environmental technician overview

ArchaeologistEnvironmental Technician
Yearly salary$50,314$39,690
Hourly rate$24.19$19.08
Growth rate6%9%
Number of jobs4,26043,079
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age4138
Years of experience22

What does an archaeologist do?

An Archaeologist is focused on studying past human activity. They record, interpret, and preserve archaeological remains for future generations.

What does an environmental technician do?

An environmental technician is responsible for identifying, evaluating, preventing, and controlling contamination of the environment. They study how it affects human health with the supervision of environmental engineers and environmental scientists. Environmental technicians work by monitoring the environment and look for possible sources of pollution and contamination that can possibly affect public health. They make sure that environmental violations are prevented. In addition, an environmental technician also investigates any complaint that is related to water quality, air quality, and food safety.

Archaeologist vs environmental technician salary

Archaeologists and environmental technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

ArchaeologistEnvironmental Technician
Average salary$50,314$39,690
Salary rangeBetween $33,000 And $75,000Between $30,000 And $51,000
Highest paying CityChelmsford, MADanbury, CT
Highest paying stateRhode IslandConnecticut
Best paying companyArcadisCity of Detroit
Best paying industry-Energy

Differences between archaeologist and environmental technician education

There are a few differences between an archaeologist and an environmental technician in terms of educational background:

ArchaeologistEnvironmental Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 74%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorAnthropologyEnvironmental Science
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityDuke University

Archaeologist vs environmental technician demographics

Here are the differences between archaeologists' and environmental technicians' demographics:

ArchaeologistEnvironmental Technician
Average age4138
Gender ratioMale, 52.9% Female, 47.1%Male, 73.3% Female, 26.7%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.8% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 66.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 5.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage11%8%

Differences between archaeologist and environmental technician duties and responsibilities

Archaeologist example responsibilities.

  • Manage field research, artifact database, data records, and federal and state require reports.
  • Manage contracts for curation of museum items, propose actions to repatriate NAGPRA materials and resolve curation problems.
  • Coordinate and authore NEPA and NHPA documents for federal projects.
  • Coordinate requirements of the NHPA and NEPA by serving as an NEPA interdisciplinary team member and providing expert technical advice.
  • Convert data files to GIS shape files and create maps for use in publications using ArcGIS 9.0 and ESRI digital maps.
  • Conduct and organize archaeological field surveys, excavations, testing, data recovery, and construction/ environmental monitoring.
  • Show more

Environmental technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead a crew of twelve techs in various archaeological excavations.
  • Manage designated areas to ensure proper cleanliness and safety.
  • Manage daily RCRA inspections and mechanical, electrical, and electronic equipment preventive/corrective maintenance procedures.
  • Provide contractor oversight, including monitoring of technical performance of sub-contractors managing remedial cleanup projects involving hazardous waste.
  • Assist with environmental projects such as groundwater monitoring, and spatial analysis using ArcGIS.
  • Perform physical labor associate with cleanup activities, sample collection, waste removal and other remediation service.
  • Show more

Archaeologist vs environmental technician skills

Common archaeologist skills
  • Excavations, 27%
  • GPS, 12%
  • GIS, 7%
  • Technical Reports, 6%
  • Data Recovery, 5%
  • Background Research, 4%
Common environmental technician skills
  • Patients, 12%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Hazardous Materials, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Patient Rooms, 5%
  • HAZWOPER, 4%

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