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The differences between bench technicians and technical testing engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become a bench technician, becoming a technical testing engineer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a technical testing engineer has an average salary of $88,367, 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 a technical testing engineer are test results, schematics, and test procedures.
| Bench Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $41,317 | $88,367 |
| Hourly rate | $19.86 | $42.48 |
| Growth rate | - | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 79,375 | 100,815 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 4 |
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.
A technical testing engineer is responsible for inspecting and reporting the quality of products across the production cycle. You will thoroughly check procedures, materials, and electrical and mechanical systems to produce high-quality products for customers. Your main job is to test various components and features of the product to identify and resolve technical issues. Other duties include organizing and conducting training for junior team members, creating test environments, and identifying the root cause of technical issues.
Bench technicians and technical testing engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Bench Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average salary | $41,317 | $88,367 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $57,000 | Between $62,000 And $125,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Issaquah, WA |
| Highest paying state | - | Washington |
| Best paying company | - | Western Digital |
| Best paying industry | - | Automotive |
There are a few differences between a bench technician and a technical testing engineer in terms of educational background:
| Bench Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 55% | Associate Degree, 47% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Northeastern University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between bench technicians' and technical testing engineers' demographics:
| Bench Technician | Technical Testing Engineer | |
| Average age | 50 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 89.4% Female, 10.6% | Male, 89.7% Female, 10.3% |
| 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, 4.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.8% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 4% |