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The differences between audio technicians and system 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 audio technician and a system technician. Additionally, an audio technician has an average salary of $51,473, which is higher than the $43,410 average annual salary of a system technician.
The top three skills for an audio technician include wireless microphones, video equipment and audio systems. The most important skills for a system technician are customer service, hand tools, and preventative maintenance.
| Audio Technician | System Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,473 | $43,410 |
| Hourly rate | $24.75 | $20.87 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 30,951 | 137,121 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An audio technician is a person who works in a variety of media fields and broadcasting and is responsible for capturing audio signals. They are involved in maintaining audio equipment, setup, speakers and sound mixer, and everything from the cables and microphones to the monitor. Also, audio technicians repair equipment that is faulty to continue recording with minimal disruption to the recording session. They are needed for live production venues, recording studios, television, radio broadcasts, and worship spaces. An audio technician works under a sound engineer who handles the creative process and final mixing involved with audio production.
A system technician is an individual responsible for supporting users with issues related to the computer system. System technicians conduct appropriate diagnostics on computer issues and must be able to explain technical issues to clients or team members. They should carry out tests on the system so that they can generate error reports to identify and fix any computer system problems. System technicians also can write and maintain computer programs and work with computers and electronics, including circuit boards, computer hardware and software, and computer processors.
Audio technicians and system technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Audio Technician | System Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,473 | $43,410 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $88,000 | Between $27,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Bristol-Myers Squibb |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between an audio technician and a system technician in terms of educational background:
| Audio Technician | System Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Associate Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Music | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Johns Hopkins University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between audio technicians' and system technicians' demographics:
| Audio Technician | System Technician | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 87.8% Female, 12.2% | Male, 90.0% Female, 10.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.1% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 8.8% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 9% |