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The differences between digital technicians and instrument 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 digital technician and an instrument technician. Additionally, a digital technician has an average salary of $73,262, which is higher than the $56,918 average annual salary of an instrument technician.
The top three skills for a digital technician include photography, adobe creative suite and technical support. The most important skills for an instrument technician are patients, surgical instruments, and cleanliness.
| Digital Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $73,262 | $56,918 |
| Hourly rate | $35.22 | $27.36 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 54,243 | 45,965 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Digital Technicians are responsible for producing design presentations and digital models through sketches, electronic visualizations, and software. Their duties include producing engineering sketches and drawings, developing building information models (BIM), conducting virtual design assessments, preparing engineering calculations and measurements, and attending design meetings. They are responsible for visiting sites, making design presentations, and participating in training workshops. Digital technicians assist in performing administrative duties for a project.
An instrument technician is an individual who is responsible for testing, repairing, and inspecting all manufacturing equipment to ensure proper operations of the machines. Instrument technicians collaborate with engineers to develop and produce equipment design and provide advice to process technicians about equipment operation. They remove defective equipment so that they can decontaminate and replace the damaged ones with new machines. They are also required by their employer to obtain certification in the field of instrumentation technology.
Digital technicians and instrument technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average salary | $73,262 | $56,918 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $134,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Houston, TX | Palo Alto, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Morgan Stanley | Phillips 66 |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a digital technician and an instrument technician in terms of educational background:
| Digital Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Associate Degree, 48% |
| Most common major | Photography | Electrical Engineering |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Northeastern University |
Here are the differences between digital technicians' and instrument technicians' demographics:
| Digital Technician | Instrument Technician | |
| Average age | 50 | 50 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.9% Female, 24.1% | Male, 83.4% Female, 16.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.4% Asian, 8.0% White, 70.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |