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Communications technician vs junior technician

The differences between communications technicians and junior technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a communications technician has an average salary of $52,222, which is higher than the $39,417 average annual salary of a junior technician.

The top three skills for a communications technician include customer service, rehabilitation and hand tools. The most important skills for a junior technician are customer service, HVAC, and fall protection.

Communications technician vs junior technician overview

Communications TechnicianJunior Technician
Yearly salary$52,222$39,417
Hourly rate$25.11$18.95
Growth rate8%10%
Number of jobs125,698103,780
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Average age4542
Years of experience-2

What does a communications technician do?

A communications technician utilizes their expertise in electronics by diagnosing issues and repairing devices ranging from cellphones, laptops, tablets, and more. They are responsible for troubleshooting and discussing the extent of malfunction with clients. Technicians diagnose the root of the problem and determine which corrective measure to take. A communications technician may work independently or as a member of a company. Most of the time, they have to consult with the clients over the pricing and kind of repairs, and then offer replacement parts.

What does a junior technician do?

A junior technician is responsible for supporting senior technicians on maintaining the efficiency and optimal performance of various hardware and software systems and applications. Junior technicians assist the end-users and employees on troubleshooting inconsistent programs, identifying its complexities, and reporting findings to the management for resolution. They also update the systems' features to increase its operational productivity and maintain system recoveries. A junior technician must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as a strong command on programming language and system codes, especially on conducting system analysis and installing applications.

Communications technician vs junior technician salary

Communications technicians and junior technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Communications TechnicianJunior Technician
Average salary$52,222$39,417
Salary rangeBetween $29,000 And $91,000Between $26,000 And $57,000
Highest paying CityTualatin, ORAlexandria, VA
Highest paying stateWashingtonNew York
Best paying companyPacifiCiti
Best paying industryGovernmentTechnology

Differences between communications technician and junior technician education

There are a few differences between a communications technician and a junior technician in terms of educational background:

Communications TechnicianJunior Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 35%Bachelor's Degree, 34%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityStanford University

Communications technician vs junior technician demographics

Here are the differences between communications technicians' and junior technicians' demographics:

Communications TechnicianJunior Technician
Average age4542
Gender ratioMale, 83.9% Female, 16.1%Male, 82.9% Female, 17.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 13.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 17.8% Asian, 6.2% White, 57.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 16.0% Asian, 10.6% White, 56.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage6%11%

Differences between communications technician and junior technician duties and responsibilities

Communications technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and maintain communications for users on FMC's IBM SNA network.
  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Complete installs and ensure that they are up to code base on current NEC, NESC, and OSHA regulations.
  • Install and configure Cisco routers.
  • Perform installations of Safeway POS systems.
  • Test cable lines and equipment to NEC standards.
  • Show more

Junior technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage backups, replications and disaster recovery plans of company mission critical servers and database files to ensure redundancy.
  • frame relay, TCP/IP configuration with NOC or on site engineer.
  • Set up new user workstations, updating software when need i.e.
  • Perform remote or in person program installation and OS setting changes to programs specifications.
  • Escalate tickets when need to upper level techs, system admins, or analysts.
  • Diagnose and fix computer issues, ranging from viruses, bloatware, and OS issues.
  • Show more

Communications technician vs junior technician skills

Common communications technician skills
  • Customer Service, 9%
  • Rehabilitation, 9%
  • Hand Tools, 9%
  • Fiber Optic, 9%
  • Patch Panels, 5%
  • Telephone Systems, 4%
Common junior technician skills
  • Customer Service, 19%
  • HVAC, 7%
  • Fall Protection, 7%
  • Technical Support, 7%
  • JR, 4%
  • Level II, 4%

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