Biotechnologist vs wildlife technician

The differences between biotechnologists and wildlife technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a biotechnologist and a wildlife technician. Additionally, a biotechnologist has an average salary of $54,160, which is higher than the $33,462 average annual salary of a wildlife technician.

The top three skills for a biotechnologist include R, GMP and DNA. The most important skills for a wildlife technician are GPS, hand tools, and harvest.

Biotechnologist vs wildlife technician overview

	Biotechnologist	Wildlife Technician
Yearly salary	$54,160	$33,462
Hourly rate	$26.04	$16.09
Growth rate	9%	9%
Number of jobs	10,862	9,809
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	4	4

Biotechnologist vs wildlife technician salary

Biotechnologists and wildlife technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Biotechnologist	Wildlife Technician
Average salary	$54,160	$33,462
Salary range	Between $36,000 And $80,000	Between $25,000 And $44,000
Highest paying City	Silver Spring, MD	Springfield, MA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	New Hampshire
Best paying company	AbbVie	Boulder County
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between biotechnologist and wildlife technician education

There are a few differences between a biotechnologist and a wildlife technician in terms of educational background:

	Biotechnologist	Wildlife Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Biology	Biology
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	Duke University

Biotechnologist vs wildlife technician demographics

Here are the differences between biotechnologists' and wildlife technicians' demographics:

	Biotechnologist	Wildlife Technician
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 55.1% Female, 44.9%	Male, 66.5% Female, 33.5%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 13.5% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%	Black or African American, 10.8% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 10.1% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%
LGBT Percentage	6%	6%

Differences between biotechnologist and wildlife technician duties and responsibilities

Biotechnologist example responsibilities.

Manage laboratories and perform clinical research in diabetic and thyroid disease states.
Perform standard PCR assays for research group.
Purify enzymes using gravity, low pressure liquid chromatography, and AKTA FPLC.
Participate in semi-annual proficiency testing for forensic casework (CTS) and proficiency testing for engraftment monitoring (ASHI).
Quantify the final product form using solvent extraction and normal phase HPLC.
Maintain documentation and batch records in accordance with ISO and CE-IVD regulations.

Wildlife technician example responsibilities.

Lead fish exclusion and relocation efforts, using backpack electro fishing gear.
Research new techniques to properly manage invasive species such a common carp.
Perform automated DNA and RNA extraction of clinical specimens.
Collect and process biological samples for epidemiology PCR and RT-PCR studies.
Work with other volunteers and sometimes independently to search for, identify and record GPS coordinates of invasive plant species.
Extract nematode specimens from soil samples, remount old nematode slides, and enter vital information into USDA nematode collection database.

Biotechnologist vs wildlife technician skills

Common biotechnologist skills

R, 23%
GMP, 13%
DNA, 13%
PCR, 12%
Assays, 10%
Extraction, 10%

Common wildlife technician skills

GPS, 9%
Hand Tools, 8%
Harvest, 7%
Data Entry, 6%
Wildlife Habitat, 6%
GRASS, 5%

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Biotechnologist
Biotechnologist vs Wildlife Technician

Updated January 8, 2025

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