Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between cell technicians and research assistants 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 research assistant takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a cell technician has an average salary of $51,227, which is higher than the $42,896 average annual salary of a research assistant.
The top three skills for a cell technician include harvest, CIP and cell culture. The most important skills for a research assistant are patients, lab equipment, and data collection.
| Cell Technician | Research Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $51,227 | $42,896 |
| Hourly rate | $24.63 | $20.62 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 19% |
| Number of jobs | 18,729 | 51,080 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
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.
Research assistants give support to researchers or other professionals who need assistance as they conduct experiments, studies, or other research projects. Research assistants help in conducting experiments, surveys, or interviews under the supervision of the primary researcher. They also work on research activities such as literature reviews, collect data, assist in interpreting results, prepare designs or visuals for the presentation of the results, and even ensure that all the tools and documentation related to the study are properly organized. They also assist in fact-checking the output and ensure that the data presented are accurate. Research assistants usually possess an academic background that is related to the main research topic.
Cell technicians and research assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Cell Technician | Research Assistant | |
| Average salary | $51,227 | $42,896 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $79,000 | Between $28,000 And $64,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fremont, CA | New Brunswick, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | General Motors | JPMorgan Chase & Co. |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a cell technician and a research assistant in terms of educational background:
| Cell Technician | Research Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 42% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Electrical Engineering | Psychology |
| Most common college | Duke University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between cell technicians' and research assistants' demographics:
| Cell Technician | Research Assistant | |
| Average age | 40 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.3% Female, 23.7% | Male, 46.3% Female, 53.7% |
| 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, 8.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 16.9% White, 52.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 8% |