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Cell technician vs associate scientist

The differences between cell technicians and associate scientists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a cell technician and an associate scientist. Additionally, an associate scientist has an average salary of $76,461, which is higher than the $51,227 average annual salary of a cell technician.

The top three skills for a cell technician include harvest, CIP and cell culture. The most important skills for an associate scientist are chemistry, patients, and cell culture.

Cell technician vs associate scientist overview

Cell TechnicianAssociate Scientist
Yearly salary$51,227$76,461
Hourly rate$24.63$36.76
Growth rate9%17%
Number of jobs18,72954,950
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4041
Years of experience44

What does a cell technician do?

Cell tower technicians are responsible for maintaining cell phone towers and keeping them in good working condition. They make sure that cell phones are receiving signals all the time without any lag or problem and that customers always have full bars. Their duties include repairing and restoring old materials and equipment, assessing functionality, building, returning, and setting up new towers, as well as consistent servicing and maintenance. Technician applicants are required to have a degree in electronics telecommunications and undergo job and safety training.

What does an associate scientist do?

An Associate Scientist assists in various experiments and research, working under the direction of a lead scientist. Their specialties may include biological life sciences, geo-science, atmospheric physics, and computing.

Cell technician vs associate scientist salary

Cell technicians and associate scientists have different pay scales, as shown below.

Cell TechnicianAssociate Scientist
Average salary$51,227$76,461
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $79,000Between $53,000 And $109,000
Highest paying CityFremont, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateConnecticutCalifornia
Best paying companyGeneral MotorsPhillips 66
Best paying industryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between cell technician and associate scientist education

There are a few differences between a cell technician and an associate scientist in terms of educational background:

Cell TechnicianAssociate Scientist
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 42%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBiology
Most common collegeDuke UniversityUniversity of Southern California

Cell technician vs associate scientist demographics

Here are the differences between cell technicians' and associate scientists' demographics:

Cell TechnicianAssociate Scientist
Average age4041
Gender ratioMale, 76.3% Female, 23.7%Male, 48.6% Female, 51.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 12.5% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 12.7% White, 52.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2%Black or African American, 6.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 26.3% White, 53.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%
LGBT Percentage6%8%

Differences between cell technician and associate scientist duties and responsibilities

Cell technician example responsibilities.

  • Lead initiatives to migrate customers to VPN and remote access systems.
  • Install, maintain, repair and service PC's, servers, POS systems.
  • Maintain all base stations, transmitter equipment (GSM, UMTS, DAS, & LTE).
  • Remove and replace boost pumps, check valves, plumbing, and braces.
  • Install, troubleshoot, and configure PC, printers, routers., network LAN devices
  • Assure system performance and integrity by performing sweep testing, PIM tests, DC power system configuration, grounding
  • Show more

Associate scientist example responsibilities.

  • Manage study protocols and study conduct, intimately involve in the toxicology and pharmacokinetic study protocol development process.
  • Generate crispr knockout STAT1, STAT3 and STAT1 & 3double knockout cell lines.
  • Use CRISPR technology to create target knockout cell line.
  • Direct ISO 9000 4.10 team registration activities and perform internal audits.
  • Prepare stock reagents and buffers for use in manufacturing assay kits.
  • Confirm the quality of product meet specifications according to cGMP and ICH guidelines.
  • Show more

Cell technician vs associate scientist skills

Common cell technician skills
  • Harvest, 13%
  • CIP, 12%
  • Cell Culture, 12%
  • Continuous Improvement, 11%
  • Transmitters, 9%
  • Perform Routine Maintenance, 7%
Common associate scientist skills
  • Chemistry, 9%
  • Patients, 8%
  • Cell Culture, 5%
  • Data Analysis, 5%
  • GMP, 4%
  • Lab Equipment, 3%

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