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The differences between cell technicians and field technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a cell technician, becoming a field technician takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a cell technician has an average salary of $51,227, which is higher than the $37,520 average annual salary of a field technician.
The top three skills for a cell technician include harvest, CIP and cell culture. The most important skills for a field technician are customer service, ladders, and test equipment.
| Cell Technician | Field Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $51,227 | $37,520 |
| Hourly rate | $24.63 | $18.04 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 18,729 | 123,149 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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.
A field technician is responsible for providing technical and maintenance support for the customers by area visits. Field technicians' duties include diagnosing technical problems, replacing malfunction components, upgrading systems for efficiency, running equipment tests to ensure stability, creating draft reports of performed processes, utilizing vehicles and other tools safely, following client's specifications on operating equipment, and adhering to the safety standards. A field technician must have excellent communication and decision-making skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the technological industry.
Cell technicians and field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cell Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average salary | $51,227 | $37,520 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $79,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | General Motors | DCP Midstream |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Energy |
There are a few differences between a cell technician and a field technician in terms of educational background:
| Cell Technician | Field Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Business |
| Most common college | Duke University | - |
Here are the differences between cell technicians' and field technicians' demographics:
| Cell Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average age | 40 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| Race ratio | Black 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, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 1.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 1% |