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Calibration specialist vs test technician

The differences between calibration specialists and 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 calibration specialist and a test technician. Additionally, a calibration specialist has an average salary of $66,759, which is higher than the $43,171 average annual salary of a test technician.

The top three skills for a calibration specialist include test equipment, laboratory equipment and calibration procedures. The most important skills for a test technician are test procedures, test results, and hand tools.

Calibration specialist vs test technician overview

Calibration SpecialistTest Technician
Yearly salary$66,759$43,171
Hourly rate$32.10$20.76
Growth rate--
Number of jobs17,47271,414
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 45%
Average age5050
Years of experience1212

Calibration specialist vs test technician salary

Calibration specialists and test technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Calibration SpecialistTest Technician
Average salary$66,759$43,171
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $118,000Between $30,000 And $61,000
Highest paying CityWest Hartford, CTWashington, DC
Highest paying stateVirginiaHawaii
Best paying companyGeneral MotorsNokia
Best paying industry-Technology

Differences between calibration specialist and test technician education

There are a few differences between a calibration specialist and a test technician in terms of educational background:

Calibration SpecialistTest Technician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 46%Associate Degree, 45%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityNortheastern University

Calibration specialist vs test technician demographics

Here are the differences between calibration specialists' and test technicians' demographics:

Calibration SpecialistTest Technician
Average age5050
Gender ratioMale, 81.2% Female, 18.8%Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4%
Race ratioBlack 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 Percentage8%8%

Differences between calibration specialist and test technician duties and responsibilities

Calibration specialist example responsibilities.

  • Accomplish team sales of 464K in clinical chemistry and hematology instrumentation.
  • Develop and implement GMP compliant calibration program for the company.
  • Maintain compliance with FDA by practicing c-GMP/c-GLP.
  • Assure that all GMP equipment is calibrated and operate within their design specifications.
  • Assist a site team with remediation activities in response to an FDA directive.
  • Utilize various automate test equipment, including meters, oscilloscopes, frequency counters, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators.
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Test technician example responsibilities.

  • Install and manage windows applications for the user, maintain servers and manage help desk operations.
  • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
  • Perform in-circuit emulation and boundary scan testing (JTAG).
  • Perform extensive testing on CVD, PVD, display and solar tooling.
  • Configure bios to better suit the operating system, motherboard and CPU's needs and requirements.
  • Use of micrometers, calipers, torque wrenches, rivet and crimping tools, electrical test equipment, drill presses.
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Calibration specialist vs test technician skills

Common calibration specialist skills
  • Test Equipment, 15%
  • Laboratory Equipment, 12%
  • Calibration Procedures, 9%
  • ISO, 7%
  • GMP, 7%
  • RF, 6%
Common test technician skills
  • Test Procedures, 8%
  • Test Results, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 7%
  • Test Data, 5%
  • RF, 5%
  • Engineering Drawings, 4%

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