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Electrical engineering technician vs senior engineering technician

The differences between electrical engineering technicians and senior engineering technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become an electrical engineering technician, becoming a senior engineering technician takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a senior engineering technician has an average salary of $88,615, which is higher than the $56,704 average annual salary of an electrical engineering technician.

The top three skills for an electrical engineering technician include test equipment, PLC and CAD. The most important skills for a senior engineering technician are java, SR, and emerging technologies.

Electrical engineering technician vs senior engineering technician overview

Electrical Engineering TechnicianSenior Engineering Technician
Yearly salary$56,704$88,615
Hourly rate$27.26$42.60
Growth rate-3%
Number of jobs133,83894,734
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age5045
Years of experience104

What does an electrical engineering technician do?

An electrical engineering technician is responsible for evaluating and designing electrical systems and improving the control equipment to support business functions and operations. Electrical engineering technicians assemble and install components by analyzing blueprints and schematics accurately. They also strategize cost-reduction techniques without compromising the quality standards, requiring them to negotiate with trusted suppliers and vendors for tools and materials needed for the production. An electrical engineering technician monitors the conceptualization of layout designs until the final output launch to ensure stability and prevent downtimes.

What does a senior engineering technician do?

A Senior Engineering Technician uses the technical principles of engineering to create and develop a project or product. They also provide technical assistance to professional engineering staff on special projects.

Electrical engineering technician vs senior engineering technician salary

Electrical engineering technicians and senior engineering technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

Electrical Engineering TechnicianSenior Engineering Technician
Average salary$56,704$88,615
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $76,000Between $63,000 And $123,000
Highest paying CityWalnut Creek, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateAlaskaIdaho
Best paying companyApplied MaterialsCrowdStrike
Best paying industryTransportationEnergy

Differences between electrical engineering technician and senior engineering technician education

There are a few differences between an electrical engineering technician and a senior engineering technician in terms of educational background:

Electrical Engineering TechnicianSenior Engineering Technician
Most common degreeAssociate Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common majorElectrical EngineeringElectrical Engineering
Most common collegeNortheastern UniversityPurdue University

Electrical engineering technician vs senior engineering technician demographics

Here are the differences between electrical engineering technicians' and senior engineering technicians' demographics:

Electrical Engineering TechnicianSenior Engineering Technician
Average age5045
Gender ratioMale, 91.1% Female, 8.9%Male, 88.5% Female, 11.5%
Race ratioBlack 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, 8.9% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 11.3% White, 58.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage8%6%

Differences between electrical engineering technician and senior engineering technician duties and responsibilities

Electrical engineering technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage over 10,000 tags in a PC base HMI database on a 19 node network.
  • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
  • Assemble distribution DC power panels.
  • Insure all equipment meets NEC and OSHA standards.
  • Install circuit breakers, transformers, stabilizers, generators and distribution systems.
  • Interface with vendors for parts, equipment, PCB layout, and assembly.
  • Show more

Senior engineering technician example responsibilities.

  • Manage and distribute cad standards to contributing design consultants and assist with any design issues as necessary.
  • Determine and insure how statistical process control (SPC) are performed, collect, and update.
  • Test equipment utilize included DMM's, oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, waveform function generators, and signal generators.
  • Demonstrate expertise in analog and digital electronic circuit design.
  • Rework and diagnose SMT PCBs.
  • Implement native and HTML5 UI.
  • Show more

Electrical engineering technician vs senior engineering technician skills

Common electrical engineering technician skills
  • Test Equipment, 7%
  • PLC, 5%
  • CAD, 4%
  • Electrical Schematics, 4%
  • Hand Tools, 4%
  • UL, 4%
Common senior engineering technician skills
  • Java, 8%
  • SR, 5%
  • Emerging Technologies, 5%
  • Troubleshoot, 4%
  • Technical Support, 4%
  • Project Management, 4%

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