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Consulting engineer vs technician

The differences between consulting engineers and technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a consulting engineer, becoming a technician takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a consulting engineer has an average salary of $97,746, which is higher than the $38,045 average annual salary of a technician.

The top three skills for a consulting engineer include java, C # and linux. The most important skills for a technician are patients, customer service, and patient care.

Consulting engineer vs technician overview

Consulting EngineerTechnician
Yearly salary$97,746$38,045
Hourly rate$46.99$18.29
Growth rate2%1%
Number of jobs125,600596,842
Job satisfaction-2
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Average age4140
Years of experience62

What does a consulting engineer do?

A consulting engineer is an individual who aids in the planning, designing, and construction of a project from the public and private clients. Consulting engineers are required to advise on the best component suitable according to the needs of their clients. They can manage the project by coordinating with designers, architects, and relevant persons who have commissioned the project. They may incorporate green sustainable energy solutions based on the demands of their clients. Consulting engineers must also conduct a feasibility study and prepare the estimated cost for the project.

What does a technician do?

Technicians are skilled professionals who primarily work with technology in different industries. They are knowledgeable about the technical aspects of the various items they work with. They are usually working with electricity or with technological advancements. Technicians may be assigned to do the construction of equipment or materials related to their field of study. They may also be assigned to conduct diagnostics and other maintenance activities to ensure that the equipment works properly. Technicians may also be required to conduct basic repairs in case of problems. It is important that technicians have good analytical skills and decision-making skills.

Consulting engineer vs technician salary

Consulting engineers and technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Consulting EngineerTechnician
Average salary$97,746$38,045
Salary rangeBetween $72,000 And $131,000Between $24,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CitySan Francisco, CASan Jose, CA
Highest paying stateWashingtonHawaii
Best paying companyAppleMicrosoft
Best paying industryTechnologyTelecommunication

Differences between consulting engineer and technician education

There are a few differences between a consulting engineer and a technician in terms of educational background:

Consulting EngineerTechnician
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 69%Bachelor's Degree, 32%
Most common majorMechanical EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeMassachusetts Institute of Technology-

Consulting engineer vs technician demographics

Here are the differences between consulting engineers' and technicians' demographics:

Consulting EngineerTechnician
Average age4140
Gender ratioMale, 89.7% Female, 10.3%Male, 75.2% Female, 24.8%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 13.8% White, 69.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1%Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.4% Asian, 4.9% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%
LGBT Percentage5%2%

Differences between consulting engineer and technician duties and responsibilities

Consulting engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage Jenkins security by providing specific access to authorize developers/testers using project base matrix authorization strategy.
  • Implement a scanner in Perl to perform periodic data quality checks.
  • Plan for new install, migration with other equipments, or decommission networks and switches.
  • Design new mechanical concept for fixtures to interface existing and new products with existing customers PCB test boards.
  • Research and develop the new legal litigation support department that increase revenue from $100k/month to $300k/month.
  • Retain to improve poor systems performance in ClearCase development environment of Solaris, HP-UX, AIX and NT systems.
  • Show more

Technician example responsibilities.

  • Achieve multiple ASE certifications within first year of employment.
  • Implement and manage UHF radio base stations, repeaters, and command network, effectively linking all regional headquarters.
  • Manage telecommunications installation and repair for hospital Nortel network.
  • Maintain numerous automate scripts to assist in managing Linux systems.
  • Manage, troubleshot and repair multiple wireless technologies including fiber optic transmission switches.
  • Install peripherals including printers, fax machines, scanners, and smartphones.
  • Show more

Consulting engineer vs technician skills

Common consulting engineer skills
  • Java, 10%
  • C #, 5%
  • Linux, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Azure, 4%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%
Common technician skills
  • Patients, 16%
  • Customer Service, 14%
  • Patient Care, 8%
  • Hand Tools, 6%
  • Diagnosis, 5%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 4%

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