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Controls technician vs unmanned equipment operator

The differences between controls technicians and unmanned equipment operators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a controls technician and an unmanned equipment operator. Additionally, a controls technician has an average salary of $53,345, which is higher than the $45,195 average annual salary of an unmanned equipment operator.

The top three skills for a controls technician include PLC, control systems and preventative maintenance. The most important skills for an unmanned equipment operator are UAS, , and .

Controls technician vs unmanned equipment operator overview

Controls TechnicianUnmanned Equipment Operator
Yearly salary$53,345$45,195
Hourly rate$25.65$21.73
Growth rate-4%-4%
Number of jobs53,15839,975
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 40%
Average age4545
Years of experience22

Controls technician vs unmanned equipment operator salary

Controls technicians and unmanned equipment operators have different pay scales, as shown below.

Controls TechnicianUnmanned Equipment Operator
Average salary$53,345$45,195
Salary rangeBetween $37,000 And $75,000Between $35,000 And $58,000
Highest paying CityBuffalo Grove, IL-
Highest paying stateHawaii-
Best paying companyBP America Inc-
Best paying industryEnergy-

Differences between controls technician and unmanned equipment operator education

There are a few differences between a controls technician and an unmanned equipment operator in terms of educational background:

Controls TechnicianUnmanned Equipment Operator
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 38%Associate Degree, 40%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringBiology
Most common collegeMichigan Technological UniversityNorthwestern University

Controls technician vs unmanned equipment operator demographics

Here are the differences between controls technicians' and unmanned equipment operators' demographics:

Controls TechnicianUnmanned Equipment Operator
Average age4545
Gender ratioMale, 84.0% Female, 16.0%Male, 93.1% Female, 6.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 7.5% White, 60.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage6%6%

Differences between controls technician and unmanned equipment operator duties and responsibilities

Controls technician example responsibilities.

  • Supervise and manage several environmental ECAS annual, monthly and weekly reports in cooperation with regional CEMS manager for federal compliance.
  • Establish communication links and prepare machines for bench-testing to attain UL certification.
  • Work with all electrical components, relays, sensors, ac and dc motors, drivers servo systems and pneumatics systems.
  • Perform PLC program creation and modifications and electronic modifications to production equipment.
  • Work with voltages ranging from 12 VAC to 600 VAC.
  • Conduct all professional activities within the policies of: Sandoz, EPA, OSHA, FDA and NFPA 70E.
    • Show more

Unmanned equipment operator example responsibilities.

  • Create time-saving MATLAB scripts to automate incoming truck test data analysis
  • Follow all power equipment rules and regulation including any regulatory agency policies to include OSHA.
  • operate and do the maintenance on Agie wire edm machines.

Controls technician vs unmanned equipment operator skills

Common controls technician skills
  • PLC, 8%
  • Control Systems, 7%
  • Preventative Maintenance, 7%
  • HVAC, 5%
  • HMI, 5%
  • Hand Tools, 4%
Common unmanned equipment operator skills
  • UAS, 100%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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