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The differences between bench technicians and electronic test technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a bench technician and an electronic test technician. Additionally, an electronic test technician has an average salary of $43,020, which is higher than the $41,317 average annual salary of a bench technician.
The top three skills for a bench technician include troubleshoot, PC and windows. The most important skills for an electronic test technician are RF, oscilloscopes, and test procedures.
| Bench Technician | Electronic Test Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $41,317 | $43,020 |
| Hourly rate | $19.86 | $20.68 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 79,375 | 49,129 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A Bench Technician specializes in installing, maintaining, and repairing electronic equipment and machinery. Although the extent of their responsibilities primarily depends on their place or employment industry, it typically includes conducting inspections and assessments, programming and troubleshooting systems, replacing and fixing components, and producing progress reports as needed. Moreover, a Bench Technician must maintain an active communication line with co-workers while adhering to its safety standards and regulations for a safe and efficient work environment.
An Electronics Test Technician is responsible for testing and troubleshooting electronic equipment, components, and parts. As an Electronics Test Technician, you will investigate issues related to process control, SCADA systems, and instrumentation and suggest effective solutions. You will be responsible for analyzing and repairing broken printed circuit boards (PCB) and creating documentation for the testing of PCB assemblies. Other duties include compiling product reports and presenting these to the company heads, ensuring to maintain testing equipment, and performing multipoint safety inspections of products.
Bench technicians and electronic test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bench Technician | Electronic Test Technician | |
| Average salary | $41,317 | $43,020 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $32,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Bethesda, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | - | Sandia National Labs |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a bench technician and an electronic test technician in terms of educational background:
| Bench Technician | Electronic Test Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between bench technicians' and electronic test technicians' demographics:
| Bench Technician | Electronic Test Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |