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The differences between commercial service technicians and field 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 commercial service technician and a field technician. Additionally, a commercial service technician has an average salary of $49,463, which is higher than the $37,520 average annual salary of a field technician.
The top three skills for a commercial service technician include OSHA, service vehicle and ladders. The most important skills for a field technician are customer service, ladders, and test equipment.
| Commercial Service Technician | Field Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $49,463 | $37,520 |
| Hourly rate | $23.78 | $18.04 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 216,958 | 123,149 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
A commercial service technician is responsible for maintaining and repairing mechanical equipment and machinery for private households and commercial establishments. Commercial service technicians inspect the conditions and stability of mechanical components to identify defects and possible part replacements. They also install and assemble equipment, requiring them to have critical analysis to follow blueprints and schematics. A commercial service technician must have excellent mechanical and organizational skills, especially in recommending efficient resources and prevent breakdown reoccurrence.
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.
Commercial service technicians and field technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Service Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average salary | $49,463 | $37,520 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $74,000 | Between $28,000 And $48,000 |
| Highest paying City | Broken Arrow, OK | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | SoCalGas | DCP Midstream |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Energy |
There are a few differences between a commercial service technician and a field technician in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Service Technician | Field Technician | |
| Most common degree | Associate Degree, 29% | Bachelor's Degree, 40% |
| Most common major | Heating And Air Conditioning | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between commercial service technicians' and field technicians' demographics:
| Commercial Service Technician | Field Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.6% Female, 3.4% | Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.0% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 1.7% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 1% | 1% |